


From Then Till Now

by rainbow_teatime (peachymintyskies)



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2016-03-11
Packaged: 2018-05-09 17:07:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 40,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5548490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachymintyskies/pseuds/rainbow_teatime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nino had thought he had left his past behind for good until he meets an old ghost he once loved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I AM BAAAACK~ XD I have been trying to figure out how to start a new series and have been rewriting and rewriting this first chapter over and over until I found it to be perfect. So... CHEERS TO A WHOLE NEW OHMIYA SERIES~ \ ^^ /

Ninomiya Kazunari looked down at his Nintendo 3DS, his thumbs firm on the joystick and "A" button as he steered his car in Mario Kart 7 ahead of the pack. His caramel eyes focused hard on the asphalt road that stretched out ahead of Mario. With a skillful maneuver of the controls, his Mario character performed a brilliant drift at a sharp turn, swiftly gaining a stronger lead as he-  
  
"Nino-kun!" The cheerful voice of his childhood friend called from a distance. Nino sighed as he paused his game and closed his console.  
  
“Shizuka-chan…” Nino grumbled with a cute pout, "why must you appear right when I was making my last lap on Mario Kart 7?"  
  
Andou Shizuka simply rolled her eyes.  
  
" What difference does this time make? You are ALWAYS at some critical turning point and I have to wait till you are finished."  
  
"Well I was at my best turning point after a fricking good drift," Nino rebutted with a smirk.  
  
Shizuka grinned wryly in mock-sympathy. "Ah yes," she said, "great job. And it's my business because..?"  
  
"Alright, lovebirds. Take your little bickering elsewhere private," An amused voice joined in and three cups of takeaway coffee were held above their heads.  
  
" Ah, Sho-san, thank you for the coffee!" Shizuka chirped as she reached for a cup.  
  
"Lovebirds? Really?" Nino joked as he gave Shizuka a critical eye, "maybe if she dolled up just a little, lost a bit of weight and lost her glasses, I might date her."  
  
Shizuka gave an appalled huff.  
  
“As if I’d date a selfish, snarky brat like you,” she jabbed back with a flip of her hair.  
  
“Now, now, children..” Sho said with a chuckle as he patted both of them on the head, “shall we head off to the movie now? The popcorn queues are impossibly long, so we ought to hurry if we are to make it in time.”  
  
Nino made a face. “Popcorn? Seriously?”  
  
Shizuka promptly stuck out her tongue at him.  
  
“If you don’t want any I will just share with Sho-kun,” she said petulantly.  
  
Sho nodded. “Yeah and then you can go ahead with your… chips or nachos or whatever you like.”  
  
Nino sighed. “Let’s at least watch something decent.”  
  
“OHHH. LOOK.” Shizuka gasped excitedly as she poked Nino on the shoulder and pointed at a horror movie poster in front of them.  
  
Nino smirked. “Are you sure about that?”  
  
Shizuka narrowed her eyes at him. “Why not? You should know that I'm not scared of horror movies.”  
  
“Oh, it’s not you I’m concerned about,” Nino said and looked over at Sho, whose face had turned as white as sheet as he stared at the movie poster showing a bloodied wall portrait of a horrific figure and two boys positioned right in front of it.  
  
“I watched the first Sinister movie and it was so good,” Shizuka said excitedly, “so I was thinking we watch the second one and see how things go for another family!”  
  
Nino laughed. “I admire your guts, but someone else here can’t stomach ghosts and demons.”  
  
“W-wh-what are you talking about, I can!” Sho protested, and Shizuka looked at him worriedly as she remembered that Sho was not good with scary movies.  
  
“...I can watch this on my own next time, so we can pick something else for now.”  
  
“On your own? Isn’t it more scary?” Sho asked.  
  
“The idea that you like watching movies on your own is still pretty hard to take in, you know,” Nino added.  
  
“Hmmm maybe just a little bit more eerie, but that makes it even more fun!” Shizuka said cheerily, and Sho only shivered lightly in response.  
  
“Well if we’re picking something else, how about that new James Bond movie?” Nino suggested.  
  
“Oh, that sounds good!” Sho agreed enthusiastically and Shizuka shook her head with a wry smile on her face.  
  
“Sho-kun, this is bad. How will your future girlfriend react when during a horror movie you jump into her arms instead of the other way round?” she teased.  
  
“I’ll… erm… I’ll just not watch it with her then,” Sho said with a small voice as he walked over to the queue with a pout.  
  
“Ahh... And here I had wanted to see him scared again too,” Nino joked, earning himself a smack on the shoulder from his roommate.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  
About 2 kilometres away from the shopping mall where Sho, Nino and Shizuka were stood a huge university, the huge sign by the gate reading “National University of Fine Arts”. In a small dormitory room for the male students, Ohno Satoshi was seated right where he was as he stared at the blank canvas in front of him. He knitted his brows together in a tight frown as his eyes concentrated on the blank space in front of him, his mind working like a pencil-wielding hand, trying its best to sketch out an idea. A concept. Something warm… something.. heartfelt. Some...thing.  
  
He sighed and slouched in his chair.  
  
For the first time in a long while, he was in an inspiration slump. Not exactly because he was out of ideas, but the theme itself was too vague.  
  
Ohno Satoshi, for the first time in his entire life, was dry of inspiration. He sighed and slumped in his chair, exhaling slowly in a deep sigh.  
  
"That is some sigh," his roommate called as he walked through the front door. Ohno turned sleepily to see Matsumoto Jun carrying over a tray that held two plates of spaghetti.  
  
" You do the same when you are frustrated over your history homework," Ohno murmured sleepily as he sat up and received the plate of spaghetti.  
  
"Believe me, history of theatre isn't as fascinating as it sounds," Jun said drily as he began to eat, "I had thought so in my first year and I was eager to take it. Now…"  
  
"I guess you didn't like it as much as you thought you would, huh?"  
  
Jun nodded. "Nevertheless, I still find theatre studies to be rather interesting."  
  
Ohno laughed as he stood up, "I get what you mean. I'll try searching the library for something. Shall I buy back anything from the cafeteria?”  
  
Jun winced, as if recalling a horrible memory.  
  
“The last time I tried the cafeteria's seafood carbonara, I was surprised with a slightly sour sauce, overcooked linguine and pathetically small shrimps,” Jun retorted, “I can easily whip up something a whole lot better.”  
  
“I guess that is a no then?”  
  
“That, and you should come back for dinner. All those horrible cafeteria foods are horrendously overpriced.”  
  
“Haha. I'll be off then!” Ohno called as he closed the door and shuffled leisurely towards the school library.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Hours later, the trio cheerfully returned to the university.  
  
“Rich kid,” Shizuka pouted as she eyed Nino's two new 3DS games in his bag.  
  
Nino only snickered in response.  
  
“Shizuka-chan, where will you be going from here?” Sho asked as he looked over at his phone for his schedule for the next day.  
  
“Mmm, I have choir practice, remember? It'll be over at Music Room C.”  
  
“I'll be going back to our room,” Nino said, “Sho-kun, are you buying dinner?”  
  
“Yeah. I can pop by the cafeteria and grab some takeout ramen,” Sho said. Nino nodded.  
  
“Then I'll go first~” Nino sang as he skipped ahead, not catching sight of someone staggering ahead with a mountain of books in his arms.  
  
“WATCH OUT!” Shizuka yelled, and as Nino turned around, the unknown person accidentally bumped into Nino, knocking him onto the ground as books and papers started flying in the air.  
  
“Nino-kun! Are you okay?!” Sho yelled as they rushed over.  
  
“Yeah, I think so,” Nino said as he tried to stagger to his feet.  
  
“I'm sorry, I couldn't see where I was going,” a gentle voice said, and Nino glared in the direction of that voice, and his eyes widened in complete shock. The man in front of him also seemed to look at him in surprise.. and recognition.  
  
That sleepy-looking face. That tanned, chubby, sleepy-looking face. That one face that suddenly hit him right in the heart where it hurt the most. How long had it been since he last saw that face?  
  
He suddenly felt unable to breathe and staggered backwards, his feet unknowingly slipping on a piece of paper, and once again Nino felt gravity tug his body towards the ground. He braced for impact.. and only felt himself being held up by a pair of strong arms. He slowly opened his eyes to find that the man had managed to stop his fall… but was holding him in a rather awkward dip position with his arms around his waist.  
  
“Yo! When's the wedding?” some cat-calls resounded from a short distance away and Nino breathed shallowly in shock as he disentangled himself away and ran off ahead without looking back.  
  
“OI! NINO-KUN!” Sho called as he chased after him, and Shizuka paused as she caught sight of a name on the pieces of paper that was all too familiar to her and Nino. She looked up at the man with a cold glare.  
  
“It's been a while,” the man said softly. Shizuka maintained her glare.  
  
“Stay away from him,” she warned, “I don't want him hurt. Again.”  
  
With that, she left the papers as they were on the ground and hurried off without looking back. Ohno Satoshi could only look in the direction where Nino had ran, a slightly cold breeze blowing towards his face and through his heart.  
  
“It really has been a while… Kazu,” he whispered to no one as he stood where he was, surrounded by his scattered papers and books.  
  
Nino slumped on the floor back in his dormitory, his body slightly shaking from the encounter.  
  
“… that idiot.. after all these years...” he whispered as he slammed a fist on the floor and took deep, pained breaths. Memories flashed across his mind as he felt his eyes well up.  
  
_“Ne, Kazu… what shall I draw today?”_  
_“I think they are pretty cute hands…”_  
_“I like the rain. There's something so… comforting about it.”_  
_“… But I like fishes...”_  
_“...I'm leaving.”_  
  
Sho opened the door to find his roommate seated on the floor and hurried over to him worriedly.  
  
“Is everything okay?”  
  
Nino snapped out of his daze and nodded.  
  
“Mm yeah. Nothing's wrong. No worries,” he said and looked away.  
  
“He's just someone I used to know,” he thought quietly to himself as he waited for his heart to stop aching.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *COUGH COUGH COUGH* Oh my gosh my throat. Here's the next chapter! THE STAGE OF THE STORY IS SET. *rubs hands together with glee at 3am* .. somehow I think I'm sleeping later and later every year. ._.

“Not to worry, though,” Sho spoke over the phone to an anxious Shizuka, “he looks fine.”  
  
“Really?” Sho could hear relief in her voice and smiled.  
  
“Yeah. He's back to playing on his 3DS,” he replied, eyeing Nino on his bed with his console, playing as if nothing that had happened earlier bothered him in the least. After finding him on the floor, Nino spoke nothing about what had happened, and only said that he was hungry and wanted some hamburger before going out to buy his dinner.  
  
“That's good to know,” Shizuka replied, "I don't want him half-dead during music class."  
  
“Why would he be half-dead?” Sho asked curiously as he looked back at Nino, feeling slightly uneasy at his reaction towards the fall that afternoon, “did he know the person who bumped him?”  
  
Shizuk bit her bottom lip as she pondered over the matter.  
  
“… Yes, he did. But what exactly happened.. I'm not in a position to say,” she replied with a serious tone, “you can ask him though.”  
  
“Do you think he'll talk about it?” Sho asked uncertainly.  
  
“Maybe, maybe not. But in time when he needs to talk, he will. Don't worry about it.”  
  
Sho chuckled softly. “You really do know him well.”  
  
“When you've been living just next door to the same bloke for almost half your life, you tend to learn a thing or two,” Shizuka joked light-heartedly and Sho could feel the tension in the air lift just a little. He glanced back at Nino, pursing his lips as he decided to take her advice and let him open up in his own time.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
_The sun shone brightly in the sky as five-year-old Ninomiya Kazunari steadied himself on the kindergarten playground, bravely clutching the first rung of a seemingly tough monkey bars. He took a sharp breath as he held on tightly and kicked his feet off the playground, immediately feeling the weight of his body on his arms.  
  
“Swing and catch,” he muttered as he tried his best to swing his body and catch the next rung. Unfortunately, his hand missed and he fell to the ground and scraped his knee. He winced painfully as he looked at his bleeding knee, the sharp stinging pain making his eyes water. Just as he was about to cry..  
  
“Are you okay?”  
  
He looked up to see a slightly chubby boy beside him, holding out a hand to help him up. Nino nodded as he staggered to his feet, his face twisting up in pain as the stinging sensation gripped his knee. The boy helped him over to a nearby bench and seated him down. He then took out a piece of tissue paper and handed it over to Nino.  
  
“Here,” he said. Nino only nodded obediently as he took the tissue paper and pressed it to his knee until he could see that the bleeding was stopping.  
  
“How do they do it...” he mumbled. The boy looked over at him curiously.  
  
“How do they actually do it?” Nino sighed as he looked up at the monkey bars.  
  
“… I can't play it either,” the boy spoke beside him, “my mother says that slightly bigger kids like us might be less able to play it.” He then took out a small plastic gift bag from his pocket and held it out to him.  
  
“Wanna share?” he offered. Nino glanced at the cookies and looked away.  
  
“Mommy says that I shouldn't accept gifts from strangers,” he said.  
  
"…but I'm in the same class as you..." The boy said with a pout and offered the cookie again, "Ohno Satoshi. Now you know me, ne?"  
  
Nino blinked and nodded slowly as he took the cookie and bit into it. He closed his eyes as he enjoyed the sweet, moist warmth of the freshly baked cookie._

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  
Nino awoke with a slightly hurting knee (not from falling off illusory monkey bars, but from accidentally hitting it against the wall). He sat up in his bed and sighed as he looked at the time.  
  
Four in the morning.  
  
He quietly slipped out of bed and headed over to the balcony outside their room, staring out into the pitch black sky full of stars.  
  
He had not expected to see HIM again.  
  
"That idiot..." he murmured sadly as he looked into the distance, feeling the dull ache in his heart return again It might been seven whole years since then, but the wounds on his heart remained fresh as if it had happened just yesterday.  
  
  
/// flashback///  
  
_"I'm leaving," that slightly cold voice spoke through the phone. Nino clutched the receiver with shaking hands as he looked towards the window, watching the skies pelt heavy drops on rain.  
  
"What are you talking about? And where the hell would you go in this weather?"  
  
"I'm moving far away. I'll be transferring to the school there too."  
  
Nino felt the weights on his heart grow heavier.  
  
"Wh-where are you moving off to?"  
  
There was no reply, save for Ohno's exasperated sigh.  
  
"Goodbye, Ninomiya-kun."  
  
"NO! DON'T YOU DARE!" Nino yelled, but all he got in return was the unfeeling beeping tone on the phone. He angrily slammed the receiver in its cradle and staggered towards his desk, just in time to see his phone ringing. It was Shizuka.  
  
"Look, Shizuka-chan, I-"  
"Nino-kun! I saw Ohno-kun outside both our homes! He is here in that car!"  
  
Nino hurriedly looked outside to see a black car parked outside and hurriedly dashed out into the pouring rain, just in time to see the car speed off, as if determined to leave him behind.  
  
"COME BACK!" Nino's anguished voice cut through the pouring rain, "COME BACK AND EXPLAIN, YOU DAMN IDIOT!"  
  
He could feel his warm tears flowing down his cheeks along with the ice-cold raindrops as he sank down to his knees, no longer caring if he was about to catch a cold.  
  
He felt someone hold up an umbrella and looked up to see Shizuka with her black umbrella.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said sadly, a small tear rolling down her cheek, "I saw him just as he got in the car and I..."  
  
"He was really here?" Nino asked shakily.  
  
Shizuka nodded tearfully. "I saw him standing in the rain with his mobile phone and then getting into the car after a short while. I called you straight after that..."  
  
Nino nodded slowly and gave a slightly cold laugh, as if it was the only thing he could do to keep himself from crying.  
  
"What does it matter? He's gone.. just.. like that.." Nino spoke slowly and uncertainly like a broken doll, "after avoiding me for so long, the first thing he does is leave me behind..."  
  
Shizuka exhaled, not knowing what else she could do except to help him up and rest a reassuring hand on his shoulder as they both watched their friend speed out of their neighbourhood and their lives._  
  
/// flashback///  
  
  
Nino sighed as he went back to bed and laid down on his bed. He remembered dashing back into his house and crying his heart out in the privacy of his room. He remembered being completely silent and withdrawn for a long period of time. He sighed as he returned his mind to the present and drew the covers over himself as if to warm up himself from memories of the cold rain seven years ago.  
  
Later, just past 8am, Shizuka narrowed her sharp eyes at Nino, who innocently munched away on his toast as they sat together in the cafeteria.  
  
"Seriously? You will think nothing of it?" she questioned.  
  
Nino blinked as he ate his toast.  
  
"Think nothing of wha-"  
"You paused for a second, didn't you."  
"What, I-"  
"Nino-kun, I swear if you had not realised who you bumped into yesterday you are either an idiot or-"  
"… Bumped into who?"  
  
Shizuka pursed her lips in slight annoyance. There was absolutely no way Nino could ever forget someone he had loved since…ages ago. Or his face, at least. She decided to take his unspoken message to just play it off and pretend that nothing happened.  
  
"I give up. I know you're trying to play it off cool and ignore that dolt and I'm all for it. As long as you feel it's the right thing to do."  
  
"…Thanks," Nino said quietly as he sipped on his coffee and stood up, "speaking of which, we are both on library duty today, aren't we?"  
  
Shizuka nodded in reply as she got ready her books.  
"Glad you remembered. I'll meet you later in the afternoon. Now let's hurry off. We are having our first morning lectures together."

 

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
By the time the late morning came, Ohno was already yawning in his class. He barely managed to get any sleep the night before. And it was all because of that one face that had haunted his dreams for the longest time. He sighed as he reflected on the past memories and looked out of the window.  
  
Clearly, Ninomiya Kazunari had not forgiven him. Half of him understood why he did not and the other half wished that Nino could understand…well.. if he should ever have the courage to tell him the truth about why he left so suddenly.  
  
If only Nino knew the reason he left.  
If only he himself had the guts to tell him.  
  
The only thing he could do at the moment was sketch whatever was on his mind.  
  
Before he realised it himself, the lecturer ended his class. He stood up quietly and bowed before arranging his rough sketches of middle-school Nino and the Nino he saw yesterday and kept them away.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  
Shizuka sat beside him, her eyes trained on the screen in front of him and her fingers busy computing data from new books into the database.  
  
"...Nino-kun?" she said softly.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"For the umpteenth time, can you at least PRETEND to work? Besides, it might run out of battery."  
  
"No it won't."  
  
"Yes it will and you won't want it to run out during your dinner."  
  
"…alright, fine. I'll just play la-"  
  
"... Hello?" an oddly familiar voice spoke up and the two of them looked up. Shizuka pursed her lips and smiled thinly as she felt a sense of utter annoyance simmer slowly inside her.  
  
"Yes, how may I help you?" she said in her usual polite voice while her stern eyes simply stayed focused on Ohno Satoshi, who presently stood in front of them.  
  
"I, erm.. I'm looking for some books. but the shelves are cordoned off today," he said.  
  
Nino felt his heart clench as he put his 3DS away to focus on the screen in front of him, his fingers working hard as if to take his mind away from the presence of that person standing just a metre away from him.  
  
"Ah right," Shizuka answered mechanically, "the library is conducting some stock-taking on the books once every two years, so unfortunately you'll need to personally look for us if you should require any books for reference or for borrowing. We'll be done in a couple of days though."  
  
"Ah..." Ohno nodded slowly as he looked down at his feet, his eyes fleeting momentarily towards Nino before looking back up at her.  
  
"In that case, shall I come back here with a list of titles to borrow?" Ohno asked.  
  
"Please do. Thank you for your cooperation," she said with a slightly professional nod. Ohno slowly stepped away, and paused in his steps. He turned to look at Nino, who was still working away on the computer. He then quietly ambled towards the computers in the library and started working.  
  
"Phew, the worst is over... I think," Shizuka said quietly as she watched Ohno leave them for the computers. She then looked over at Nino.  
  
"You can stop pretending to work now," she said flatly.  
  
"I'm not pretending to work. I AM working."  
  
Shizuka snorted and looked over briefly at Nino's computer before looking back at her own. Just then, a soft, muted click of a pair of heels suggested that their head librarian had come to see them.  
  
"Shizuka-chan, I need you to help me with checking and maintaining the old library archives. Could you come with me?"  
  
Shizuka nodded and hurried after the librarian, and Nino suddenly felt a sense of unease as he watched her leave him alone at the front desk...  
  
Alone to face HIM.  
  
"Shucks.." Nino cursed silently under his breath as he resumed his work, his fingers working furiously on the keyboard to calm himself down.  
  
Just then, he heard the soft thuds of incoming footsteps. Bracing himself with a cold, blank look on his face, he looked up from his screen, staring emotionlessly into those soft brown eyes.  
  
The two men stared into each other's eyes, the seven years that separated them flashing back between them in that instant, and Nino felt his heart pound louder and louder. Nino blinked, abruptly stopping himself and broke off the connection.  
  
"Can I help you?" he managed to ask without his voice breaking.  
  
"It's been a while," Ohno whispered, and Nino narrowed a warning glare at him.  
  
"I don't know what you mean," he dismissed coldly and resumed his work.  
  
"Nino-kun, I-"  
  
"DON'T!" he barked, his voice echoing in the library. He looked around and caught the quiet glares and whispers of the readers and librarians all over the place. He quietly composed himself and continued.  
  
"Just give me the damn list so I can find your books," he growled under his breath.  
  
Ohno only looked at him with slight hurt in his eyes as he handed over the list. Nino snatched it out of his hand and escaped towards the shelves, his heart thumping in his mouth and warning bells going off in his head.  
  
"Not again, not again..." he muttered quietly to himself as he took a huge deep breath. He then calmly reached out for the requested books in the "Visual Arts" section and headed back to the counter, where Ohno was patiently waiting. He looked at the screen, his eyes taking care to avoid looking at him.  
  
"Your library card?"  
Ohno blinked and took out his wallet, handing over his library card. Nino took it deftly and started scanning the card and books.  
  
"Due in two weeks time. Return as soon as you can. Fines are 50 yen for every day overdue," Nino said brusquely and piled the books on the counter, slowly pushing them towards Ohno, "thank you and have a nice day."  
  
"N-Ninomiya-"  
  
"If there's nothing else, please take care on your way out."  
  
"Hey, I-"  
  
"Yes, may I help you?" Nino finally looked up, and Ohno cringed a little as he caught the look of unspoken fury in his empty eyes and exasperated voice.  
  
"I-it's okay. Thank you," Ohno said quietly as he cradled the stack in his hands and walked out, every now and then turning back to look pleadingly at Nino. When Ohno was finally out of sight, Nino sighed as he slumped in his chair. His energy left his body as he replayed their first proper encounter in the last seven years in his head.  
  
He could not help but remember that look of hurt and incomprehension in Ohno's eyes as he brushed him off coldly. Part of him felt nothing, and yet the other part of his heart ached badly.  
  
"Damn it," Nino cursed under his breath, just in time to see Shizuka walk back behind the counter. Shizuka looked at the computer desk where Ohno had been and then back at Nino.  
  
"… I'll ask you at dinner."  
"Don't."  
  
Shizuka raised her eyebrow at him.  
"Why? Did you bite his head off and eat him?"  
  
"I just…don't want to talk about it," Nino said quietly, the weight of his words speaking volumes to Shizuka. She sighed but nodded obediently.  
  
"Well, whatever happened, it's over. Let's move on with work, okay?" she encouraged with a hopeful look, and Nino finally managed a weak smile before resuming work.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  
Ohno Satoshi trod heavily into his room and sat down in front of his blank canvas. His heart had never felt more heavy since seven years ago. It was clear that Ninomiya Kazunari had not forgiven him. Well then again, why would he when he was the one who left him back then?  
  
He knew that fact.  
He knew it was his fault.  
But still...  
  
Ohno put away the sketchbook in his lap and reached for another sketchbook- large, brown, and weathered from the passing of time. His deft fingers tipped the cover over, revealing the first proper sketch he did as a kid- a playground.  
  
The playground where he first met Nino.  
  
When his mother gave him cookies as a snack back then, he had no idea that he would be making his first friend.. or that that friend would be Nino. He could still remember Nino trying his best to hold back his tears as he tended to his painfully scraped knee, and the slightly satisfied smile that appeared after he took a bite out of the cookie he gave.  
  
Just then, Jun tapped him on the shoulder.  
  
"I've left some pasta for you for dinner. I'm going to meet someone."  
  
Ohno looked up from his distracted daze and nodded.  
  
"Have fun with your date," Ohno said absently, and Jun tossed a small cushion in his direction as he left for the door.  
  
Ohno closed the sketchbook and sighed. Nino might be in the same school now, and they might only be a few hundred metres away from each other. But in complete honesty, Ohno had never felt more distant from him than he did when he left him back then.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  
"So, I guess it went well?" Sho asked as he frowned over the chessboard. Opposite him sat Shizuka, who shrugged in reply.  
  
"He refused to talk to me, but he seemed to have dealt with it himself. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for him to see.. well…that person again," Shizuka said.  
  
"Well, no news is good news," Sho said as he made his move.  
  
"I wouldn't be so sure," Shizuka said, and just then..  
  
"Sho-chan!" someone called, and the pair turned to see a taller guy hurry towards them.  
  
"Ah! Aiba-kun! I just remembered my notes!" Sho said with a laugh. Aiba Masaki giggled as he took out a set of photography notes.  
  
"Thanks, Sho-chan! You really saved me today!" he said and looked over curiously at Shizuka, who gave him a warm smile and resumed pondering over her next move.  
  
"…you never told me you had a girlfriend," Aiba said, and Shizuka's pawn piece fell out of her hand as she looked up at him, blinking in complete surprise.  
  
"N-no! She isn't! She's best friends with my roommate!" Sho insisted as a slightly shocked Shizuka picked up her chess piece.  
  
"Andou Shizuka," she said cheerily, giving him a slight bow.  
  
"Nice to meet you! I'm in Sho-chan's photography class," Aiba said.  
  
"Rather than talk about me, where is YOUR boyfriend?" Sho teased, and Aiba giggled.  
  
"Jun is probably back in his room cooking for his roommate," Aiba mused as he looked over in the direction of Jun's dorm room.  
  
"You don't get jealous that he happened to be rooming with someone else?" Shizuka asked in curiosity.  
  
"Not at all," Aiba said brightly, "his roommate knows about us anyway. Speaking of which, I'm meeting him now. I'm going off!"  
  
"Have fun! See you around, Aiba-san!" Shizuka said, waving as they watched Aiba dash off towards the cafeteria.  
  
"Sorry about him," Sho said hurriedly and Shizuka shook her head gently.  
  
"I was a bit shocked, but it's fine," she said evenly as she placed her pawn where she wanted it.  
  
"But back to what we were talking about..." Sho said, "what did that guy do that made Nino so.. well.."  
  
Shizuka bit her lip as she looked at Sho uncertainly.  
  
"... I'll tell you what I DO know," she said, "but take it with a pinch of salt. I was not an involved party, so I cannot claim to know the specifics."  
  
"I understand," Sho said, ".. just tell me."


	3. Chapter 3

Shizuka slid up her black thick-framed glasses as she watched Sho observe the pieces on the chessboard.

  
"Well... you know that me and Nino-kun were childhood friends, right? "

  
Sho nodded.

  
"There was actually one other person who was our childhood friend… and that was him."

  
Sho looked up in surprise. "You knew him too?"

  
Shizuka nodded. "Ohno Satoshi. He went to the same elementary and middle school as Nino-kun. "

  
Sho blinked as he took up a bishop. "Do you mean that you went to a different school?"

  
Shizuka laughed. "I only knew Nino-kun because I lived in the house just opposite his and our mothers meet often," she explained, "I was in a different elementary school and went to a girls' middle school. But even so, every now and then I'd go over to play his video games."

  
Finally, the bishop in Sho's hand landed back on the board. He smirked.

  
"Check," he said promptly, "and didn't Nino-kun hate it when you do that?"

  
"Well initially yes. Until he discovered I was a worthy opponent who kicked his ass in a fighting game. He invited me to a co-op Mario game after that," she answered proudly as she picked up her queen and moved it to block off Sho's attack.

  
"Well, how was Ohno-san like back then?"  Sho inquired as he inspected the board.

  
"He was.. quite a peaceful fellow, I guess. He was as much of a homebody as the both of us," Shizuka said thoughtfully, " naturally that meant that he and Nino-kun got along pretty well."

  
Sho nodded as he took up his rook.

  
"Then the one day came when Nino asked me a strange question… he asked if I knew what love was like."

  
This time, it was Sho's turn to drop his chess piece on the floor in complete shock. Shizuka laughed.

  
"Are you learning from me or are you just fooling around? "

  
"The same bratty ice prince who ignored every Valentine letter he received?! When was that?!"

Shizuka giggled as Sho straightened himself up.

  
"It was some time before we went to middle school. I thought it was common, and that he might like someone that he could not bear to leave. So I just answered him the best I could and asked who it was, but he never told me."

  
"Ah… that's a pity..."

  
"Oh, don't worry about it. I knew who it was soon after. One fine afternoon during middle school, I saw Ohno-san walk Nino-kun home … and saw Nino-kun kiss him on th- no! Don't you drop your rook again, you!"

  
"Seriously?!" Sho asked incredulously, "we are talking about the same Ninomiya Kazunari, right? He kissed someone?!"

  
"On the cheek, my dear! The cheek!" Shizuka said between fits of laughter, "but believe it or not, I was so mad at him and Ohno."

  
"Hmm… because you couldn't accept the relationship?" Sho asked as he placed the rook down, "check. Again." His opponent shook her head in reply.

  
"No it was not that. I was definitely shocked at first. But before long I thought it was fine so long as they were happy and liked each other. But really, I wished they had told me about it. I was their friend after all, ne," Shizuka explained, "but eventually they made it up to me so all was well. The problem started when Ohno…eh.. no... I correct myself. It's probably when Nino started avoiding me first."

  
"He did?" Sho looked up in surprise.

  
"Mmm, it was some time before my yearly piano recitals, I remember," Shizuka answered, her eyes scanning the board disdainfully,  
"I clearly have a lot of room for improvement in this game. I don't get how you are so good at this."

  
"Practice, little grasshopper," Sho joked, "but…did you know why he did ignore you?"

  
Shizuka's hand hovered slightly over her last knight as she pondered.

  
"Actually.. until now, I have no idea why he did. But I did know he was avoiding me. It can't be normal to go to school normally and suddenly start saying he feels sick the moment he gets home."

  
"He said he was sick?"

  
"Yeah. I asked him several times to let me come and visit, but he refused to let me in. Apparently he even barred his parents from entering his room too," Shizuka recounted as she took up her knight and moved it.

  
"That hardly sounds like him," Sho agreed.

  
"I was so confused and had no idea what happened. I was concerned, so I contacted Ohno-san to ask him if anything happened to Nino. He said he did not notice anything out of the ordinary. So for a whole month... I didn't see him. Or Ohno-san."

Sho blinked as he took in this piece of information and pondered his move.

  
"And then…for once in a very long month, Nino suddenly called me and sounded rather lost and distraught," Shizuka continued, "saying that Ohno has been avoiding him."

Sho looked up in shock.

"Wait, so.. Nino-kun first avoided the both of you... and then Ohno-san started avoiding the two of you as well?!"

  
"Yeah," Shizuka said, "I wanted to question him why he ignored me in the first place but... well…seeing how he sounded so distraught and confused, I decided to help him out first. We hung out together like we did before in an attempt to cheer him up.. except Ohno was not there with us, no matter how many times we tried to invite him along."

  
"And.. you never figured out why he did that?" Sho asked as he moved his queen, "Check."

  
"Nope. Before I could even guess, that fateful rainy day came," Shizuka said, pausing as she took a deep breath, "I was doing my work when I looked outside to see Ohno standing outside in the rain with his phone, talking to someone while staring at Nino's house. Desperate, I tried to call Nino but he did not pick up his handphone. By the time he did, Ohno had already gotten into his family car... and it started to speed off into the distance."

Sho watched her recall the story, a slightly painful expression crossing her face. He was somehow able to understand why Shizuka had felt so mad at Ohno, even though he never met him.

  
"Upon seeing Nino dash out of his house into the rain in nothing but his pajamas, I hurried down with an umbrella and held it over him," Shizuka said, "and Sho-san, that was the first time I ever saw him looking so…"

  
She paused and took a deep breath as she tried to find the words to describe that heart-wrenching moment.

  
"…frail. Broken. It was almost as if the light that had been in his eyes for the past eight years was suddenly gone, and only his shell of a body remained doused by the rain."

  
She finished with a sigh, moving her king away from check. She then looked up at him with a self-deprecating smile on her face.

  
"What do you think? Could there have been a legitimate reason why he left?"

Sho shrugged, still feeling the shock of Nino's back story on his heart.

  
"I…honestly speaking…I have no idea what to say to such a story. Neither do I have an idea as to what made Nino-kun ignore you or what made Ohno-san leave."

  
Shizuka sighed. It was an answer she expected.

  
"I guessed not. After all, the inner workings of human nature is not like a game of chess. You can't strategise, theorise or formulate human emotion."

  
Sho looked at the board and moved his last piece.

  
"Isn't it supposed to be the very beauty of the human race? Checkmate, Shizuka. I win."

Shizuka smiled at the conclusion of their game and clapped slowly.

  
"And yet, the very element of its beauty is its own failing," she answered mysteriously and looked away from the chessboard into the darkness that hung over the campus. Sho wondered if he had ever seen her look more pensive than she did right then.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Jun returned from his short date with Aiba, only to see his roommate drinking on the veranda.

  
"Oii. Why didn't you invite me?!" Jun demanded, playfully pressing a fist to Ohno's fluffy hair.

  
"Help yourself," Ohno said sheepishly, gesturing to several other cans beside him. Jun laughed as he sat down and opened a can.

  
"Well? What's on your mind? I doubt it's your major assignment of the year," Jun said as he sipped his beer while staring out into the dark sky above them.

  
Ohno nodded with a wry smile. Jun always had a sharp eye for detail. But then again, to be in theatre studies, he sort of figured that having a good eye for detail and body language was rather important.

  
".. Jun-kun…how long have you and Aiba-san been dating? Was it hard to keep your relationship going?"

  
Jun blinked in surprise at his question and thought out his answer carefully.

  
"It wasn't really about whether it was hard or not," he answered thoughtfully, "but rather about the fact that we HAD to stick together to be happy."

  
"…that's what every couple would want to do, ne?" Ohno murmured as he downed his can of beer.

  
"Well yeah.. but we really decided on it because we just knew we had to," Jun said and gulped a mouthful of beer as he explained, "if we shared our burdens, it'd be halved between us and we can keep going. If we celebrated anything together, we'd be twice as happy. Conversely, if we left each other and bore everything on our own, we'd be twice as sad right now, wouldn't we?"

  
Ohno nodded slowly.

  
"And that's why I failed…huh..." Ohno whispered sadly as he looked up at the sky that seemed as empty as his heart.

  
Jun looked over at him with concern.

"... Do you want to talk about it?"

  
"It's a long story," Ohno said.

  
"We have all night," Jun said as he drew out four cans from behind him and moved them towards Ohno.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Nino ruffled his hair in slight irritation as he looked down at his books.

  
He could not concentrate.

  
He absolutely hated to admit it, but it was true- he could not concentrate because he could not forget how he and Ohno had met for real in the library. He could tell that the past seven years had definitely changed his appearance to be absolutely stunning, but wondered why it felt as if nothing else about him had changed at all.

  
"Alright, I'm going bonkers," he muttered and shook his head, "so much for pretending I did not know him."

  
"Ah, so you did know him."

  
"Yes, I did kno-" Nino paused and spun around in his chair to see his roommate leaning in the doorway with a wry smile on his face. He rolled his eyes in annoyance.

  
"Shoo. Go. Nothing to see here."

  
"But I live here now."

  
"Eesh."

  
"I heard a bit from Shizuka-chan," Sho said and walked over to sit at the desk beside Nino's, his eyes running over the photography books that piled on the wooden plane of his table.

  
"She couldn't have told you everything," Nino said quietly.

  
"She did tell me everything she knew," Sho said, "but that's not all there is to it now, is it?"

  
Nino remained silent, his face solemn as he remembered what had happened.

  
_/// flashback///_   


_Nino opened his eyes, and the first thing he could see was a fan hanging down from the blank, sickly yellow ceiling. The loud whirring of the fan and the quiet buzz of the fluorescent lights pulsed painfully in his temple. He could faintly feel something trickle down this head to his hair,  slick from a wet mix of water, sweat and blood. The wet washroom sink beside him had begun leaking, the pipes under it damaged by repeated hits from a baseball bat, just like his own back. He decided to sit up against the wall and gasped sharply as an acute pain shot through his back._

  
_"Damn it..." he cursed under his breath as he slammed his palms on the edge of the sink and tried to stand amidst the intensifying pain. Without glancing towards his bloody reflection in the mirror, he hobbled slowly out of the boys bathroom and headed towards the medical room. The door slid open with a bang and the doctor looked up in complete and utter shock._   


  
_"Sensei... don't.. tell anyone that I-" Nino whispered and slumped forward on the floor as everything went black._   


  
_/// flashback ///_   


  
"Nino? Nino? OI!"

  
Nino blinked as he felt someone shake him out of his dark memories. It was Sho.

  
"Nino? Are you okay?"

  
"Huh? Uh, yeah.. I guess," he said uncertainly, "just thinking."

  
"About what happened?"

  
"About my assignment of the year," Nino answered with a cheeky grin, "speaking of which, what are you going to do? What did they give you?"

  
Sho blinked, quite thrown off from the change of topic.

  
"Well, us photography students are supposed to submit pictures based on a given theme. We'd contribute some shots for decorating our annual Arts Festival and only some especially outstanding ones will be displayed in the Visual Arts Gallery," he explained.

  
"Sounds tough. Good luck."

  
"What about you?"

  
"It's inevitably some group project," Nino grumbled, "we have to compose a few songs and do a recording on them. We'll submit them for marking at the end of the year."

  
"Wow..."

  
"Yeah, wow indeed. I only took this module because I can then learn how to compose and conduct but all this group work..."

  
Sho shook his head and patted him on the back.

  
"Well, for both our projects I guess we'll figure out something," he said encouragingly and looked back down at his books.

 

Nino was hiding something. He knew it. But he could not figure out what that dark shadow over Nino's face was.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Jun bit his lip as he listened to Ohno's story.

  
"Well? I have failed, haven't I? I'm just like one of them," Ohno said sadly.

  
"...I know why you did that now," Jun said, "but clearly enough it still hurt him. But unlike those idiots, you didn't want to right," Jun said, "And that's in the past. What are you going to do NOW to win him back? Have you tried telling him?"

  
"… he won't even speaking properly to me," Ohno answered, "he hates me, Jun-kun. He does."

  
"... I guess you'll just HAVE to find a window of time when he's open to listen," Jun said, "if you want him to even forgive you, he must know why you did it. The thing is, that window won't come easily."

  
Ohno nodded, looking down at the beer cans before him, the gears in his mind turning as he tried to think of a way to get Nino to speak to him again.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
A week later, Nino sat before Sho and Shizuka with a small announcement.

  
"I'm taking on another part-time job."

  
Both of his friends choked at the same time on their coffees.

  
"HAH?! Why?!" Shizuka demanded.

  
"Why? So I can get more money. Why else?"

  
"But you already have your work at the library!" Sho pointed out.

  
"Yeah well, I've arranged for it to not clash with my lessons. I'm having this job at our school-run cafe only on weekends for a few hours, so it's okay."

  
Shizuka narrowed her eyes at him. She then leaned over, a concerned look on her face.  
"You... don't happen to have money problems, right?"

  
Sho nodded. "Yeah, if your family is in some sort of financial trouble, I can try to he-"

  
The pair received a prompt smack on their arms.

  
"It's not that," Nino retorted, "I just…wanted to keep myself busier."

  
"You're getting pretty busy already with your gaming and composing and part-time jobs, you dolt," Shizuka grumbled.

  
"I'll be fine! Don't worry, alright?" Nino said with a grin, "speaking of which, I'm starting today in about ten minutes."

  
The pair choked on their coffee again.

"Wait, WHAT?!"

  
"Sorry. Ask me out again later for dinner, ne?" Nino said apologetically and hurried off with his bag.

Shizuka folded her arms as she watched him go, puffing out her cheeks in protest.

"Is it just me or is he hiding something again?"

  
"I really don't think he's hiding anything," Sho commented, "maybe he just doesn't want to think about Ohno-san again, and so he  
decided to get himself busier."

  
"Well I can understand that," Shizuka responded and shrugged, "but I guess we came out for nothing for the afternoon. Sorry about this. Will you be going back?"

  
"Actually I'm okay with hanging out together," Sho said, and he stopped himself as he realised that he had just invited Shizuka to go out somewhere together.

  
On a Saturday afternoon.  
Alone.  
With him.

  
_"... Did I just…Did I just ask her out?! What is she.."_ Sho wondered as he looked over at Shizuka who seemed to be pondering over the idea, her dark brown eyes blinking through her thick-framed glasses.

  
"Mm. I'm okay with it too but er... " Shizuka managed with a weak smile, "I'm actually pretty boring to hang out with."

  
"Hmm? How so?"

  
"I prefer going to bookstores and checking out books or a trip to the library as compared to actually shopping for other stuff. I've been teased horribly about it before, but I still like books and journals," she said animatedly with slightly sparkling eyes, "and there's the fact that the bookstore near our campus is just so big and the aisles are so wide and spacious an-"

  
She paused awkwardly mid-sentence.

"Sorry, I'm a rambling geek when it comes to books and bookstores."

  
Sho laughed heartily. "That's fine. We can go there for the afternoon."

"Really?! But won't you want to watch a movie or go to the arcade or go get a new outfit or something?"

  
"It's fine. I like reading a lot too. And the arcade is just Nino's preference."

  
Shizuka laughed as she pointed towards the direction of her favourite bookstore. Sho had to admit he had never seen a smile brighter than hers.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Nino wore his uniform and looked at himself in the mirror. Just then, someone burst in through the door.

  
"Good morning~" a cheerful voice called, and Nino looked to see a rather tall guy step in and smooth out his messy brown locks.

  
"Alright, with this, everyone is here," the manager said as he stepped forward, "I'll like to introduce two newcomers- Ninomiya Kazunari and Aiba Masaki."

  
After some swift introductions and some small amounts of basic training, Nino and Aiba stood at the cashier, making small talk as they waited for the cafe to open.

  
"Ehhhh~ So you study music? That's really nice!"

  
"Aiba-kun, what do you study?"

  
"Photography."

  
Nino paused. Photography? Wait a second. He knew someone like that...

  
".. By any chance, do you know who Sakurai Sho is?"

  
Aiba paused and nodded. "Yeah. We're in the same lecture and tutorial group."

  
"I see," Nino said and grinned, "thank you for always taking care of our Sho-kun."

  
"OUR Sho-kun?!" Aiba asked with a giggle.

  
"We're cohabiting," Nino joked, "we've always had ever since we entered this college."

  
"Ahhh! So you're his roommate? How is he like? Does he like, keep his things really tidy or-"

  
"Tidy? What gave you that idea? He has three tall stacks of books that he hasn't sorted out in months. I tiptoe my way around them so I don't knock them all down."

  
The two guys laughed as the doors swung open.

  
"Ah..."

  
The two guys looked to see a familiar guy in the entrance.

  
"Ohno-kun! Hello~~" Aiba said cheerily with a wave, but Nino only stood rooted right where he was, feeling completely drained of every ounce of energy in that one instance when their eyes met.

  
"Aiba-kun! Come over, I'll teach you how to operate the coffee machine," a barista called, and Aiba nodded.

  
"I'll leave the customer to you, ne?" Aiba said hurriedly and rushed over to the coffee machine, leaving Nino standing there in shock.

  
"Right. Second time. Again. Goddammit," he thought in disdain and faced Ohno head-on, taking a deep breath and flashing him a megawatt smile.

  
"Welcome. What can I get you?" he said in his best-customer-service smile.

  
Ohno paused for a second, clearly unnerved as he looked up at the menu.

  
"Erm…a small cup of Americano?" he asked uncertainly.

  
Nino nodded and took a paper cup and a marker.

"May I have your name?"

  
Ohno felt his heart tighten painfully in his chest.

"Nino-kun, I-"

  
"Your name or initials, please," Nino said with an insistent tone, keeping his customer-service mode on. The tip of his black marker hovered quietly just above the curved surface of the paper cup. Ohno sighed.

"... Ohno Satoshi," he answered. Nino nodded, giving a thoughtful look before scribbling on his name and handing it over to Aiba.

  
"Yo, Aiba-kun. Americano," he said before turning back to Ohno, who was looking at him with those same eyes of confusion and hurt. He blinked away what he saw and focused on the cash register.

  
"250 yen please." Nino said, and Ohno quietly took out the money and paid for it.

  
"Thank you and have a nice day," Nino said with a bow and walked away, "I'm going to the washroom for a while!"

  
Aiba watched him go and shrugged before looking at the paper cup. He squinted at the name that Nino had written.

  
"Ne, Ohno-kun, I don't think that's how your name is written, right?"

 

Ohno blinked as he looked over at the cup to see that Nino had purposefully written his first name in a different kanji. It was almost as if Nino was trying to erase the fact that he ever knew him.

That unfamiliar character that sounded like his name almost squeezed his breath out of his chest.

  
"I-it's okay," Ohno said, "I'm in a hurry anyway, so just fill it up."

  
"Oh, okay," Aiba said and went over to the coffee machine.

  
"Ne, Aiba-kun, did he just join you?" Ohno asked.

  
"Yeah. We joined this cafe today, actually," Aiba said brightly, "quite a nice fellow. Want me to introduce him?"

  
"No, it's alright. Maybe some other time. I gotta go."

  
"Oh-kay~ See you around, Ohno-kun~"

  
Ohno nodded with his usual sleepy smile and strode out of the cafe, trying to ignore the fact that his heart was crumbling a little.

  
Nino stepped out soon after, slightly relieved to see that Ohno was gone. Aiba walked over to him.

  
"Nino-kun, you got the customer's name wrong," Aiba said with a slight pout.

  
"Oh? I did? I had no idea," Nino answered, trying his best to push away the nagging guilt that was at the back of his mind.

  
_///flashback///_   


 

_"Ah, Oh-chan, I've been wondering," Nino said one day as they were chilling out in elementary class during their lunch break, "how is your name written?"_

  
_Ohno looked at him curiously. "You have no idea?"_   


  
_"Well, there are a whole lot of Satoshis out there in the country, ne? They might be written differently," Nino explained. Ohno nodded slowly._   


  
_"Well, it's written like this," Ohno said as his deft hands picked up a pen and neatly wrote out his name._   


  
_"Oh.. you have nice penmanship, don't you?" Nino said in awe, "mine are practically chicken scrawlings as compared to yours."_   


  
_"Neat penmanship comes with enough practice. I can help you if you like."_   


  
_"Really?" Nino yelled excitedly and Ohno nodded._   


  
_"Firstly, let's at least have you write my name a few times," Ohno said, "here. Hold the pencil."_   


  
_Nino nodded obediently, his stubby hands holding the pencil firmly. Ohno carefully clasped his right hand over Nino's and directed the pencil over to the piece of paper._   


  
_"Relax and watch me," he said and moved Nino's hand carefully as they wrote his name together. He finished writing and looked down at Nino and shared a shy smile as he felt his cheeks flush pleasantly amidst the bright classroom._   


  
_/// flashback///_   


 

"There's no way you couldn't have known," Ohno whispered as he stepped out of the cafe, the coffee doing nothing to warm up the chill on the outside and the inside.


	4. Chapter 4

"Ehhhh~ so you like drama CDs and otome games and such?"

  
Shizuka nodded slowly as she slurped on her drink, "I'm basically an anti-social closet otaku who also likes reading. A lot."

  
"So you're basically a female Nino-kun except that he doesn't read," Sho joked, earning himself a sharp poke on the shoulder.

  
"Don't you tease me now," Shizuka said, and just then her phone started ringing.

  
"Do you mind if I get it?"

  
"No, go right ahead."

  
Shizuka nodded and went aside with her vibrating  phone.

  
"Hello?"

  
"Might this be Andou Shizuka-san? "

  
Shizuka frowned. "Yes, may I help you? "

  
"Ah, great!" a female voice spoke,"I'm calling from the school office and I would like to formally congratulate you for your successful  
scholarship application…"

  
"Ah… really…?" Shizuka asked as she continued listening and directed her eyes over to Sho, who was looking at his phone.

  
"… when will I be leaving then?" she asked quietly as she clenched her fist.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Jun looked at his major assignment for his theatre studies course. Just then, the door opened and Ohno sauntered in.

  
"Oh, you're back," Jun said.

  
Ohno nodded. "You're working on your major assignment? "

  
"Rather than working on it, I'm brainstorming. I need to make a stage production of some sort. Can be a musical or a play or…"

  
"I think a musical would be nice," Ohno said absently.

  
"Yeah I think so too, but it's hard to round up people.." Jun said," I'll need a songwriter,  a composer and a whole lot of other people…"

  
Just then, someone knocked on the door.

  
"Jun-kun,  it's me!"

  
Jun grinned and walked over to welcome his boyfriend.

  
"Masaki-kun~" he greeted with a loving hug as Aiba cutely buried his face into his neck.

  
"What are you doing?" Aiba asked, letting his long arm drape gently around Jun's shoulders.

  
"Just talking about my major assignment," Jun said,  "what do you think of a musical?"

  
"Oh!  Sounds good, doesn't it?!" Aiba said excitedly. Jun nodded.

  
"Yeah but I need people on the production team, like songwriters,  composers and such. And we'll need people who can sing too..." Jun said wistfully. Aiba looked at him in slight surprise.

  
"…what if I told you I met someone who is studying music today? " Aiba asked.

  
Ohno looked over at him in shock.

  
"You don't mean…"

  
"Yes! Nino-kun! We can ask if he has friends who can help too!" Aiba continued,  his eyes brighter than Jun's rings.

  
"Ah.. great idea! The school would also allow this as their major assignment, so we can all finish it together! " Jun agreed readily and hugged him,  "as expected from my miracle boy!"

 

And that was how hours later at 9pm, Nino and Shizuka found themselves seated right opposite Aiba and… someone else. They stared curiously at the man with thick eyebrows beside Aiba Masaki.

  
"So," Aiba began with a slightly shy smile, " he is Matsumoto Jun. He's.… erm.."

  
Something clicked in Shizuka's mind and she smirked. "Oh...? Might he be... THAT 'Jun-kun' you've been gushing to us about the other day? "

  
Nino joined in with an evil grin. "Oh my Aiba-kun, how could you not tell me that you were seeing someone? "

  
Jun laughed. "Please.  Call me Jun. Anyway, Nino-kun,  I understand from Aiba-kun here that you're studying music?"

  
Nino nodded. "Actually both Shizuka-chan and I study music. But we're taking different routes. "

  
"Really?"

  
"Yes. Nino-kun here is studying composing and songwriting. I'm studying conducting but I do choral singing too," Shizuka explained.

  
Jun have a thoughtful look and gazed at the pair with resolve.

  
"Could I ask both of you to assist me in my musical?"

  
Shizuka looked up in surprise.

"Huh? Why-"

  
"It's because of my major assignment! I was hoping we could work together," Jun said earnestly,  "we'd then be able to get it out of the way together and focus on other things."

  
"Ehhh~ that sounds good. I'll be happy to offer vocal coaching and conducting," Shizuka offered with a smile.

  
"You're doing it?! Even if you detest group work?!" Nino asked incredulously.

  
"Oh come on, a little bit of group work every now and then isn't so bad," Shizuka said, "besides, Jun-kun here seems completely serious and passionate about it. I think we'd all do a good job, ne~"

  
"Well if you say so…" Nino murmured with a pout, "I'll join too."

  
"Really?! Awesome! Shall we meet up tomorrow to discuss the details?" Jun asked excitedly.

  
"Nino here has a part time job tomorrow at the cafe in the morning. I'll meet you instead," Shizuka answered, "Ahhh.… guess it'll start getting busy.."

  
Nino nodded at Shizuka's remark.

"But sometimes being busy is good,"Nino mumbled to no one as he looked back down at his lap.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"So, Shizuka-chan, I'll leave the rough storyline with you. Give me some ideas as to how the musical arrangements could be like. I'll finalise the script with you again and we can really meet Nino-kun for concrete planning," Jun said as he handed over a set of documents.

Shizuka nodded and leafed through the set briefly.

  
"Erm. Shizuka-chan..  I have a slight problem and I'll need your advice."

  
"Hmm?" she quipped curiously.

  
"Actually... this Friday is our 3rd year anniversary,"Jun said nervously, "but I have no idea how to celebrate it."

  
"Ohhh congratulations! Well... Aiba-san seems like the kind who'd enjoy a day out at the amusement park."

  
"Right?!" Jun chimed, "but… how does one make it more exciting?"

  
"Huh? An amusement park isn't exciting enough?"

  
"It is but…" Jun paused in thought, "…I want to make it even more fun and exciting, I suppose. With an element of surprise."

  
"…So the amusement park isn't fun and exciting and has no surprises? "

  
"IT'S NOT THAT."

  
Shizuka smirked. "Well… how about you invite some friends along?"

  
Jun stared blankly at her.  "Were you listening in the first place? It's supposed to be a date for our 3rd anniversary."

  
"Let me finish," Shizuka explained, "you take him out on a group outing there... And then somewhere in the middle you whisk him away from the group and play by yourselves."

  
"But... Why...? "

  
Shizuka sighed.

"....  Imagine with me.  If you two were going on a group outing and Aiba-san steals YOU away from the rest of the group, how would you feel?  And how would you feel when he then says… that the group outing is fun but he still wants to have you to himself for your anniversary? "

  
Jun's eyes lit.

  
" Right! And it's an element of surprise too! "

  
"Exactly. So invite your friends,  steal him away midway and tell him that.  I'm sure he'd be swept off his feet and it'll be romantic for the two of you."

  
"OHHHH nice idea! " Jun said," thanks Shizuka-chan!  I owe you one! "

  
" Don't worry about it..." Shizuka said mysteriously, "...  Just... pay for my ticket."

  
"YOU'RE JOKING."

  
"Well?  Which amusement park are you bringing him to? "

Jun looked at his smartphone, flicking around until he found a page he saved.

  
"How does this look?"

  
Shizuka blinked at the sight of a bungee jumping corner, a sky-high thrill ride, a haunted house and a rollercoaster that seemed to go backwards. There was a hotel right next to the theme park.

"Very… uh... exciting. In every sense of the word. But for there to be space for bungee jumping… it must be really far away," Shizuka said with a nervous laugh.

  
"True, but Friday is a holiday and the next two days are weekends, so we can take it easy there and stay over," Jun said, "and since you suggested it, you'll come with us, ne?"

  
He then flashed a charming smile which somehow made Shizuka cringe inwardly in fear and give a slow nod.

  
"YES! Now, to book rooms for all six of us.. three rooms should be good..." Jun mumbled as he started booking tickets and rooms.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
"Ehh? This Friday? "

  
Shizuka nodded as she snuggled with a Kirby cushion in Nino's dorm room, "Jun-kun asked me to invite you."

  
"Eh...  But I'd much rather stay in…"

  
"Oh come on, Nino. I'll bring my 3DS so you won't get bored, alright? "

  
Nino narrowed his eyes at her, still not keen on the idea.

  
"You seem awfully enthusiastic about this, aren't you?"

  
"Ah...  I guess if you won't I'll just go have the Wagyu beef hamburgers there to myself when I'm alone~"

  
".... Wagyu beef hamburgers? "

  
"That's what got your attention?!"

  
"What do you mean by 'alone' anyway?  Isn't it a group outing? "

  
Shizuka shook her head. "... Let's just say that the main event is a certain couple's 3rd year anniversary...  And we're the playing the supporting roles as the crowd members. I'll tell you more about it on that day. "

"...  Fine.  I'll go so as to support Aiba-kun and Jun-kun. "

  
"It's really to support the hamburgers, ne."

  
"I hear hamburgers~"

  
The pair looked up to see Sho in the doorway.

  
"Since when did you like hamburgers?" Nino asked.

  
"Ah, would you like to come too? " Shizuka asked,"our dearest Junba couple is going on an anniversary date at the amusement park and he requires us as supporting cast members."

  
"Won't we get in the way of the couple? " Sho questioned curiously.

  
"Jun-kun knows what to do so we won't. It's only until they leave to be on their own. "

  
"So they'll be leaving halfway? ...  Ahhh that's why you can go and eat." Nino said.

  
"Well? Are we all in? " Shizuka asked.

  
"I shall go to support them," Sho said brightly.

  
"Me too, "Nino chimed.

  
"It's still the hamburgers, ne?" Shizuka jabbed, shaking her head with a smile.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
"... Who's going? " Ohno asked his roommate when he got invited to the group outing to the amusement park.

  
" I've asked Shizuka-chan,  but apparently she just informed me that Sho-kun and Nino-"

  
"I'm not going. "

  
" Eh? Why? " Jun asked.

  
"... Well..remember what I told you the other day on the veranda?"

  
"Your sad, tragic tale of a love that didn't last? ...  Ah...  Don't tell me the guy you've told me about is..."

  
"Ninomiya Kazunari, "Ohno said evenly," he...  He hates me now. "

  
Jun nodded slowly as he started to understand.

  
" But Ohno-kun.. "he said," if you're not going to tell him the truth this Friday, just when would you ever tell him then? "

  
"... I don't know."

  
"Exactly. He may or may not hate you still, but at least you’ve tried to explain yourself, right? You’d feel much better about it yourself too,” Jun advised, “you’ve bottled this up for seven whole years. Isn’t about time you let it go?”

  
Ohno sighed.

  
“Alright. I’ll go,” he finally said, “but it’s to support you and Aiba-kun. So I just need to hang around long enough for the two of you to disappear, right?”

  
“That’s right. You can go back to the hotel or continue to play around after this,” Jun said, “now, I shall go book the tickets for six people.”

  
Ohno picked up Jun’s phone, which showed the amusement park they were going to.

  
“... How are we getting there? It’s really far!”

  
“Eh… we’ll make it a road trip. If we leave at 7am, we should be there by 10am, just in time for the park to open.”

  
“We’ll need to wake up really early, huh?” Ohno said with slight dread, “and how exactly are we going to squeeze 6 people into one car?”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Apparently, Ohno did not need to worry.

  
“Ehhhh~ I never knew that you drive, Sho-san!” Shizuka said in awe as Sho pulled over his black car right in front of the group.

  
“ _More importantly,”_ Nino thought in disdainfully as his eyes wandered over to the sleepy figure some distance away from him, _“why the hell is HE here?!”_  


  
“Sho-kun,  Shizuka-chan and Nino-kun, I’d like you to meet my roommate- Ohno Satoshi,” Jun announced after pulling over his own car behind Sho’s. He then walked over to Ohno and dragged him out, wrapping a friendly arm around his shoulder.

  
Nino stayed completely quiet and looked away in quiet contempt.

  
Shizuka gave a slightly nervous smile and nodded.

  
Sho bowed. “Nice to meet you. I’m Sakurai Sho.”

  
“So, how will we divide ourselves?” Shizuka asked.

  
“Well we can go with 3-3,” Sho suggested, “the three in Jun-kun’s car would be Jun-kun, Aiba-kun and… er… Ohno-san?”

  
“That’s good, I suppose,” Jun said, “shall we be off then? I’d like to get there at 10. The latest being 10.30am if we allow breaks in between.”

  
“Sho, Shizuka, I’ll be in the back. I’m still tired and I want to sleep,” Nino said as he went over to Sho’s car and made himself comfortable at the passenger’s seat. Sho looked over at Ohno apologetically.

  
“Sorry about Nino-kun. He has never been good with early mornings.” Sho said.

  
Ohno nodded. “Yeah. I know. It’s fine.”

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

**(Sho’s car)**

  
“Nino, I know that you and Ohno are still tense with each other but still!”

  
“Shut up, Sho-chan. I’d like to sleep.”

  
Shizuka sighed. “I can’t blame you, Nino. But still we could at least make the atmosphere a bit more pleasant for Jun-kun and Aiba-kun.”

  
“Exactly, Nino.”

  
“Give me some Wagyu hamburgers and I might think about it. Anyhow, I’d reaally like to sleep. Goodnight.”

  
The pair in the front sighed.

  
“I guess we’ll just do what we can, huh,” Shizuka said, “Sho-san, feel free to pull over for a break if you need one. I’ll just be chilling right here by the window.”

  
Sho glanced over at Shizuka with concern.

  
“You don’t look too well. Did you stay up last night?” he asked.

  
“Well yeah. I did. I had lots of snowballed work to do,” Shizuka said guiltily, “I wanted to finish them up before coming and only slept at 4 before waking up at 6.”

  
“That’s only 2 hours of sleep! It’s good that you’re working hard, but shouldn’t you rest too? You can sleep like Nino-kun right behind us. I’ll wake you two when we’ve arrived at a convenient resting point.”

  
“It’s okay,” Shizuka said, “I don’t feel too sleepy just yet. I’ll just look around outside and sleep when I feel like it.”

  
“Well… okay. Take it easy, ne?” Sho said, “I can switch on something for you if you like.”

  
“Alright. I’ll let you choose,” Shizuka murmured sleepily as she leaned her head against the glass window beside her, her eyelids  
falling shut. Sho glanced over at her and smiled.

  
“So much for not being sleepy just yet,” he whispered as he turned on a classical music station and turned the volume down.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

**(Jun’s car)**

  
Over in Jun’s car, things were more… happening, perhaps.

  
“Magical Banana~” Aiba sang, “Banana reminds me of ‘yellow’!”

  
Jun smiled from the driver’s seat. “ Yellow reminds me of the sun.”

  
“ The Sun reminds me of a ‘sunfish’...” Ohno murmured sleepily from behind them both.

  
“ Sunfish reminds me of the sea!”

  
“The sea reminds me of ‘seafood’.”

  
“ ‘Seafood’ reminds me of ‘Shellfish’...”

  
“ ‘Shellfish’ reminds me of ‘yellowtail’..”

  
Ohno trailed off.

 

“Ohno Out~” Aiba said.

  
“Why do you keep using fishes?!” Jun asked as he wheezed while laughing.

  
“Because I like fishes?” Ohno said with a soft chuckle and looked outside.

  
_/// flashback//_  


 

_“Ne, Kazu..” Ohno said as he looked up from his drawings at Nino’s house, “what shall I draw today?”_

  
_Nino groaned from beside him. “Here we go again. You ask me that question. I’d answer. And the next thing I know, you’d be drawing a fish of some sort even though I suggested something else..”_  


  
_Ohno grinned. “Yeah. So, what fish shall I draw today?”_  


  
_“I don’t know what fish you can draw! …. How about you draw whatever fish you can think of, whether they’re existent or not,” Nino replied and went back to drawing. Ohno leaned over and looked at his drawings, only to see two stick figures drawn on top of a gentle hill under a sunny sky._  


  
_“Who are those two?” Ohno asked, and Nino’s face flushed redder than a small tomato._  


  
_“... Y-you and I,” Nino mumbled._  


  
_“Ehh?” Ohno blinked in surprise, “what about Shizuka-chan?”_  


  
_“By then, Shizuka-chan would have found her prince and would be living happily with him,” Nino explained softly, “so that leaves just me and you, ne?”_  


  
_Ohno stared blankly at the picture and nodded before turning over to his sketchbook._  


  
_“I’ll be drawing. Don’t look,” Ohno said._  


  
_“I won’t be interested in your weird fishes, Oh-chan!” Nino said and resumed his drawing._  


  
_A few hours passed and before long, Nino had completed his drawing. He presently laid down on his bed, reading his manga._

Suddenly, he felt something thin tickle his chin, and he knew what it was.  


  
_“Stop it, Oh-chan,” Nino grumbled, “I said that I’m not interested in your weird fishes.”_  


  
_“... but it’s not a fish,” Ohno said, pouting cutely as he handed his drawing over. Nino sat up on his bed and looked at the drawing… only to see that Ohno had drawn (with lots of hairy lines and exaggerated features) two small boys holding hands in what looked like a simple house._  


  
_“... Is this me?” Nino asked, pointing to a short figure with a mole on the side of his chin, pretty much a chibi resemblance of himself. Ohno nodded, and pointed to the other boy beside Chibi Nino._  


  
_“This is me,” Ohno added, “we’re living together here in the future, just like you said, ne?_  


  
_Nino nodded, and then noticed that in a far corner, Ohno had added a small picture frame of a girl in spectacles and cute pigtails beside a faceless figure with a crown._  


  
_“Who is that?” Nino asked, pointing to the photo frame._  


  
_“That’s Shizuka-chan with her prince,” Ohno answered, “that was a photo from their wedding.”_  


  
_“Ehhh… she likes a prince with no face? Scaryyyy~” Nino teased, and the two boys laughed as they rolled on the floor, their drawings overlapping one another on the messy floor._  


  
_/// flashback///_  


 

  
“Ohno-kun?” Aiba called from the passenger seat beside Jun, and he turned to see that Ohno was lying down sprawled across the passenger seats behind them.

  
“Wow. He’s really knocked out,” Aiba commented, and Jun glanced at Ohno through the rearview mirror.

  
“We’re halfway through the journey. We can stop at the petrol station in about 400 metres,” Jun said.

  
“Okay~” Aiba said, “I think the Sho-kun’s car would stop by too, ne?”

  
“Masaki, could you check with him?” Jun asked. Aiba flushed and nodded as he took out his phone and called Sho. Jun smiled ahead at the scenery in front of him, quietly taking Aiba’s free hand in his own.

 

  
**(Sho’s car)**  


  
Nino stirred in his sleep as he felt the leather comfort of the seats beneath his back. He frowned with his eyes closed as he felt someone shaking him awake.

  
"Nino? Niino?" the soft voice whispered.

  
"Hmmm...."Nino hummed as he opened his eyes sleepily to vaguely see Sho's face hovering close above his. With a sleepy grin, he stretched out his arms and wrapped them around Sho's neck, drawing him down on the seats and closer to his face.

  
"Wh-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! WAKE UP, YOU MORON!" Sho yelled in shock. Registering Sho's reaction, he smirked.

  
"That will teach you to wake me up in the middle of a good nap,"Nino said as he shoved Sho off him.

  
"Yeah, see?" Shizuka's voice came from outside the car, "I told you we should leave him to starve until he says he's hungry. I'm glad I wasn't the one who woke him up."

  
"Oh, I wouldn't do a thing, Shizuka-chan. You're not my type," Nino said, and Shizuka huffed before kicking Nino painfully in the shin and walking back to the convenience store. Sho only giggled and ruffled Nino's hair before following after her. Nino grumbled and slammed the car door shut and going back to sleep.

Shizuka's eyes wandered around the shelves, her hands reaching out for a couple of snacks when two hands held out two cans of black coffee in front of her. She rolled her eyes.

  
"…Ohno Satoshi, get your coffee away from me."

  
"It's for you, Shizuka-chan," he said. Shizuka only sighed and turned to Sho, who was holding the other can of coffee.

  
"Thanks, Sho-kun. I'll be right with you outside."

  
"Everything okay?" He asked, concerned.

  
"Mm. Yeah. I'll be right there." She said and turned to Ohno.

  
"Shizuka-chan, I kno-OW!" Ohno yelped in pain as he felt Shizuka punch him in the shoulder.

  
"You bloody idiot!" she scolded angrily," first you left so suddenly without the courtesy of saying goodbye to me or Nino. And after seven whole years of disappearing into thin air, you pop up so suddenly and you have the gall to expect me to-"

  
"I know, I know!" Ohno protested, "I'm so sorry. I…

Shizuka huffed and looked away.

  
"Look, I will make it up to you,"Ohno said anxiously,"..more importantly… Nino..how has he been?"

Shizuka remained silent and looked over at Ohno once more. But what was in her eyes was not her anger from a few moments ago.. it was pain.

  
"Since that day when you left…" Shizuka said quietly, "it was like some part of his heart died."

  
"But.. I didn't mean to," Ohno said, "that's not what I wanted! I-"

  
"I know. You probably had your reasons and you probably did not mean to hurt him," Shizuka said solemnly, "but look at him now, Ohno-kun! Whether you had meant to hurt him or not doesn't matter anymore! The outcome is the same- you still did!"

  
Ohno remained silent. Shizuka's words cut sharply, but he knew she was right.

  
"So..  he will never hear me out again?"

  
Shizuka paused in thought and shook her head. "He will not hear you out easily, but it's not impossible. "

  
"What should i do then? How can I-"

  
"OIIIII~ Shall we go off???" Jun called from outside.

  
"… Just do your best, Ohno-kun, " Shizuka said and took his canned coffee to the cashier, "this one's on me."

 

  
**(Sho's car)**  


  
"Welcome back," Sho said as Shizuka slid into the seat beside him and threw Nino a bag of chips, "what did Ohno-san talk to you about?"

  
Nino looked at Shizuka, an unreadable expression on his face.

  
"Oh, nothing much. I just gave SleepyHead a piece of my mind and paid for his coffee," Shizuka said simply and looked at Nino through the rearview mirror.

  
"He asked about you," she said with a kind smile.

  
Nino snorted and looked out of the window

  
"What's it to me?

  
"Nothing. Just thought it worth the mention."


	5. Chapter 5

At the hotel lobby right beside the theme park, Jun walked over to the waiting group, holding six keys in his hands.  
  
"Okay, time to go to our rooms to put our stuff down!" Jun announced.  
  
"How are we rooming, by the way?" Sho asked, "there are only five guys and one girl. Shizuka-chan will need to sleep alone."  
  
"Mmm. Me and Aiba-kun here will share a room, and then the three of you can share a room." Jun said.  
  
"Should we seriously leave the lovebirds together?" Shizuka teased goodnaturedly.  
  
"Yeah I wonder too," Nino joined in, "I don't want to be woken up at night by odd sounds."  
  
"Oh SHUSH, you two!" Jun said while Aiba flushed beside him, "anyway, Nino-kun, Sho-kun and Ohno-kun, you three will share a room."  
  
Nino blinked in shock at the fact that he was about to room with Ohno.  
  
".. Shizuka-chan.. can't I sleep in your room?" Nino asked.  
  
"Sure..." Shizuka answered with a megawatt smile, "but by tomorrow morning, your games AND your 3DS will disappear and you won't even know what happened to them for the rest of your life."  
  
"...On second thoughts, I'll be okay with sharing."  
  
"I thought so."  
  
"Right, let's go then!" Jun said, dragging his luggage over to the lift.  
  
Sho turned to Nino and gave him a reassuring pat on the back.  
  
"It's okay," he whispered, "if we DO share a bed, I'll make sure to sleep right in between you two so you won't have to worry too much about it."  
  
Nino only stared ahead in dread and shuffled obediently with the pack.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  
Cartloads of people screamed as the nearest rollercoaster ride braked some distance before a near-vertical drop. Without warning, the ride sped forward faster than before, plunging its passengers straight downwards.  
  
Some distance away, the viking ship swung towards the side in a scary angle, and a group of girls looked excitedly at the all the thrill rides around them.  
  
"Shall we go to that tall mega swing thing?" one of them asked.  
"No no no let's go bungee jumping before that!" another said, "it's the main attraction here!"  
  
"B-bungee jumping... What is this place?!" Sho asked shakily as he felt all the blood drain from his face.  
  
"I've booked rooms in the hotel just next door, so we can play here to our heart's content," Jun explained, and Aiba's eyes lit up in anticipation and excitement.  
  
"LET'S GO, GUYS~" Aiba said excitedly, hustling the group over to queue for a ride nearby. Sho gulped as he watched the ride speed back to its position. He could tell something was off about it, but he was not sure what.  
  
"Ohhh, is this the one in the pictures the last time?" Shizuka asked Jun, "the one that went backwards?"  
  
"BACKWARDS?!" Sho asked in shock.  
  
"Yes, backwards," Shizuka answered matter-of-factly, "and that one over there is a famous gondola ride that shoots waaaaay up. Even while you're still ground-level, the ride itself is floorless so it's REAALLY scary!"  
  
"I hear it goes about 50 meters up too!" Jun said, "ahhh I can't wait to go on that one~"  
  
"I'll pass on it. Can I go back to the hotel room now?" Nino said.  
  
"Mou, Nino-kun! It's so rare that we all get to go out and play like this!" Aiba said, "at least try some rides!"  
  
"No no no, he's the type of person who'd rather stay in the hotel room the whole day with his game console and not come out," Shizuka said, "I know this guy too well."  
  
"Well, I know that's why we're dragging this dude out, but..." Sho said and looked around nervously at the thrill rides around him, "I pictured something a tad bit less... exciting."  
  
"Oh come on," Jun said, "go big or go home! If it's going to be fun, it should be so to the max, right?"  
  
_"Oh God, no,"_ Sho thought as he watched them get closer and closer to his doom.  


 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
The group started trying out various rides for the rest of the morning until it was time for lunch.  
  
"Shall we go?" Nino grumbled.  
  
"It'd be nice if we could," Sho said, his face slightly pale and tired.  
  
"Actually, why don't we just look around? I think there are some small gift shops and game shops." Shizuka suggested.  
  
"Well, what do you sugge-Jun-kun? Jun-kun?!" Ohno called and looked around.  
  
"Ehh? Already? He left already?!" Sho asked, looking around.  
  
"Ahh..." Shizuka said, "well, I guess the four of us are left on our own then."  
  
"Let's just look around then," Nino said as the four of them strolled towards the game shops. Shizuka looked over at the prize shooting games and had an idea.  
  
"Shall we play this?" she asked.  
  
"Why?" Sho asked, "do you want a stuffed toy?"  
"No, but let's make it interesting. Whoever manages to shoot a prize down first will win." Shizuka said.  
  
"What about the loser?" Ohno asked.  
  
"They will have to go on the ride that the winners choose," Shizuka said, "it could be that sky-high ride or.."  
  
"Or.. bungee-jumping?" Nino said with a grin.  
  
"I REALLY don't like this game!" Sho said fearfully, and Nino patted him on the back.  
  
"Don't worry, Sho-chan. I'll pray for you from the ground that you'll come back to us," Nino said, and Sho huffed determinedly.  
  
"I won't lose! Let's go!" Sho said and stepped right up to the game stall.  
  
"What do you think?" Ohno asked Shizuka and she shook her head.  
  
"Sho-kun doesn't look good with heights but… unfortunately, it's Nino-kun he's up against," Shizuka said with a slightly nervous smile.  
  
True enough, Sho lost the game.  
  
Shizuka held the gun in position and tried to focus.  
_"_

 _This is bad,"_ she thought as she felt her hands shake slightly, _" my body won't listen to me..."_  
  
She tried knocking a small prize off with her gun, but made consecutive misses, and Ohno ended up winning by a lucky shot.  
  
"... This is odd... Shizuka is usually good at these sort of shooting games," Nino thought as he watched her look rather embarrassed at her loss.  
  
The party of four now found themselves at the foot of a bungee jumping platform.  
  
"Have fun bungee-jumping~" Nino cheered and Sho looked nervously at Nino and Ohno from the queue.  
  
"... Is it a good idea leaving Nino-kun with Ohno-san?" Sho asked with a worried smile on his face, "why not I just-"  
  
"Sho-kun…are you scared of heights?" Shizuka teased.  
  
"N-no! I'm not scared of heights! I just..." Sho said with a flushing face, "I just don't like high places.."  
  
"So you ARE scared."  
  
"No!"  
  
Ohno grinned as he watched Sho and Shizuka bicker amidst the queue.  
  
"...Do you think Shizuka-chan has found her prince yet?" he asked. Nino looked at him in surprise and looked away.  
  
"I don't get what you mean," he answered.  
  
"You don't remember?" Ohno asked, "the faceless prince she's marrying?"  
  
"…Oh.." Nino murmured awkwardly, "I don't know."  
  
"... Nino-kun?"  
  
"I'm really thirsty. I'll like a drink," Nino said and walked briskly away from Ohno. Ohno looked uneasily at Sho and Shizuka before running over to follow Nino.  
  
Shizuka felt her phone vibrate and looked at it. With a puzzled frown, she looked around outside the crowd.  
  
"What is it?" Sho asked.  
  
"I think Nino-kun and Ohno-kun went off to have a drink," Shizuka said, "though if he were thirsty he shouldn't really drink any alcohol..."  
  
"Le-let's escape from this queue!" Sho insisted, "we can just tell them that we went on and they won't know!"  
  
"Tsk tsk tsk," Shizuka clicked her tongue disapprovingly, "how dishonest of you, Sho-kun."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Besides," Shizuka said seriously, "maybe all Ohno-kun needs right now is a chance to right things."  
  
Sho looked at her thoughtfully.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah," Shizuka nodded, "when I spoke to him earlier…he did seem really tormented from everything he did."  
  
"Oh? You warm up pretty fast to him," Sho said with a smile.  
  
"Well, we had been friends before after all," Shizuka said as she rubbed a little on her eyes, "having to leave so suddenly must have been harder on him than for any of us. I still don't know why he left, but I guess I'll know soon enough."  
  
"That's tru-"  
  
"Alright, next!" someone called from the distance, "hand over your bags, please!"  
  
"Oh no.." Sho murmured with dread as they inched closer and closer towards the tall tower ahead.  


 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
_/// flashback ///  
  
"I like your hands," Nino said as they sat by the benches in the playground. Ohno smiled as he aligned his hand with Nino's, his deft fingers stretching just enough to be slightly longer than Nino's stubby ones.  
  
"Nino's hands are cuter," Ohno murmured. Nino pouted in reply.  
  
"No they are not," he said, "my hands are round, fat and have shorter fingers. Just like hamburger patties."  
  
"…hamburger hands?" Ohno said with a whimsical smile, "could you have eaten too many hamburgers?"  
  
"Shut up!" Nino said with an embarrassed face.  
  
"It's okay though," Ohno said softly as he looked at both their hands. He then slowly tilted his hand in a small angle to the side, letting his fingers slip neatly right between Nino's. Interlocking their fingers intimately, he drew their hands closer, brushing his thumb against the side of Nino's thumb.  
  
"I still like your hands," he said.  
  
Nino said nothing of it but looked into the pitch-black sky, the warmth of their hands bringing colour to his cheeks.  
  
"…so why did you call me here anyway? We have school later on, you know." Nino asked.  
  
Ohno only smiled into the distance. As if on cue, the orange glow of the rising sun peeked from the horizon, brightening the pitch-black skies. As the sun rose, rays of light swept across their town and everything seemed to turn to gold.  
  
"Whoa..." Nino murmured in capitivated awe.  
  
"Keep looking," Ohno whispered, and Nino nodded as he took in the beautiful scenery that unfolded before him. Just then, he felt a something soft touch his cheek gently. He turned to see Ohno's face just a few centimetres away from him.  
  
"...even though I told you to keep looking," Ohno said shyly, the glow of the sunrise revealing his blushing face. Nino felt his face heat up and looked down at their hands.  
  
"I can't possibly look anywhere else when you do that," Nino mumbled with an embarrassed pout.  
  
"Then…will you just look at me then?" Ohno asked, and Nino looked up in surprise as he felt Ohno lean in to touch their foreheads together.  
  
"I…like you, Nino," Ohno said tenderly.  
  
Nino could almost feel his heart soar at Ohno's confession as he smiled and nudged back at Ohno with his forehead.  
  
"Hmm… let me consider it," Nino said, and Ohno froze in shock.  
  
"Eh?"  
  
Without warning, Nino leaned in and pecked him quickly on the lips. Ohno seemed to be even more stunned at his move.  
  
"Wh-what.."  
  
"Oh-chan, you're slow on the uptake, huh," Nino said with a playful grin,"I will only say this once. Listen carefully."  
  
Ohno nodded as he tried to follow.  
  
"I..." Nino began and trailed off, before purposefully leaning in again to tenderly touch Ohno's lips with his own. The warmth of their lips spread like wildfire to their hearts as they tightened their grip on each others' hands.  
  
///flashback///_

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
"Well? How was life?"  
  
Ohno looked up in surprise from the sudden question. Ever since he had followed Nino and sat quietly beside him with a mug of beer, he had been busy with organising his thoughts and memories of the past. It was a lengthy, uncomfortable silence that hung between them, the only sound being each others' gulping and requests for refills.  
  
"You've been gone for seven years," Nino said, "how was life in your new home?"  
  
"Well…it was fine," Ohno said hesitantly, "I studied a bit, made new friends…had fun with the friendly neighbours.."  
  
"... So I suppose it wasn't that bad then," Nino said as he took a gulp of beer, "leaving us, that is."  
  
"Nino," Ohno began exasperatedly," it's not that, I-"  
  
"Whatever. Forget it," Nino said, "I don't want to remember it. Forget it." He then gulped down the rest of his beer and asked for a refill. The silence sank down between them again. Ohno could not help but feel the weight of those dismissive words on him, because while those seven years tortured him so, to Nino he seemed to pay it no mind. He took a few deep breaths and ordered another mug of beer.  
  
"How was your life?" Ohno asked back.  
  
"Nothing happens here," Nino murmured,"I studied. Went to college. Learned music and song writing."  
  
"And.. Shizuka?"  
  
"Went to college. Learned music and conducting."  
  
Ohno knew Nino was not even bothering with being friendly anymore. "Nino, I-"  
  
"Don't pretend to be interested," Nino said indifferently.  
  
The brute force of his words squeezed itself around his heart like a noose.  
  
"Nino, about why I-"  
  
"Like I said, I don't want to-"  
  
"Do you really think I can allow you to forget everything?!" Ohno demanded, and Nino simply laughed coldly at his response.  
  
"I don't want to hear that from you, Ohno Satoshi," Nino bit back, "you were the one who left me and Shizuka. And here you are after seven long years and you have the bloody cheek to tell me what to do, huh!"  
  
"I know, I know and I know!" Ohno yelled, "I know I was the one who was wrong, alright?!"  
  
"No, you don't, you bloody idiot!" Nino hollered back, "you don't know a damn thing!"  
  
"Don't give me that," Ohno said in a low, pained voice, "you are the one who doesn't know a damn thing."  
  
Nino slammed his fist down on the table irritably.  
  
"Enough. I've had enough of your shit. Don't appear before me ever again," Nino said icily, tossing some money on the table and sauntering out. Ohno opened his wallet and followed suit before stomping fast out of the bar. With a strong, forceful grip, he managed to grab Nino's arm.  
  
"Let go, you bastard!" Nino yelled.  
  
"Not a chance," Ohno growled as he dragged him out past the bar's doorway. With an increasingly mad Nino in tow, he led them both into a quiet alley and pinned him up by his hands against the hard, brick wall.  
  
"Get lost," Nino snarled.  
  
"I did. Seven years ago. And do you have any idea how those seven blasted years tormented me?!"  
  
"No. No no no, it's not about that. It's whether YOU have any idea how THOSE seven blasted years tormented ME!"  
  
"And so you thought I wasn't affected in any way?!"  
  
"YOU?! Affected?!" Nino retorted incredulously with a laugh, "YOU, Ohno Satoshi? The boy who left us alone and went to a new neighbourhood to live a whole new life with a whole new bunch of people? Exactly how goddamn 'affected' can you ge-"  
  
Before Nino could finish, Ohno had painfully grabbed the back of his hair and tugged it downwards. As his chin jerked up, Ohno leaned in and forcefully smashed their lips hungrily together in a fierce kiss. Nino fisted his hands and pounded them hard against Ohno's chest, but Ohno's arm remained tightly wrapped around him, the other hand now strengthening its grip on his hair as he deepened the kiss. A strong breeze blew around them and Nino felt his world spin faster around him as he felt Ohno's tongue invade his mouth.  
  
"More," Ohno growled harshly against his lips," than you ever knew."  
  
As if to prove his point, Ohno pushed him harder against the wall as his tongue plunged deeper again into his mouth. Nino's world faded out into a black void as he felt the moist heat of the lips he sought after for past seven years crash feverishly against his own, stealing his breaths over and over again.  
  
All too soon the warmth left his lips as Ohno abruptly turned away and ran. For the first time in seven years, Nino felt hot tears fall out of his eyes as his heart felt a toxic mix of anger, confusion, and... to a small degree.. hope.


	6. Chapter 6

Back at the bar, Nino sat down and looked blankly at his drink as he recalled what had transpired between him and Ohno. He sighed as he rested his chin in the palm of his right hand on the bar. He absently touched his bottom lip, slightly swollen and warm like a gentle burn from the kiss back in the dark streets.  
  
"The first time we had a proper conversation in seven years," he said sadly, "and we already fought. "  
  
Just then, he felt his phone ring. He unlocked it to see it was Sho.  
  
"Hello? Are you two do-"  
  
"Nino! Come to the sick room at the hotel now! Quick!"  
  
"Hah? Wh-"  
  
"Sh-shizuka fainted off the bungee jumping platform! "  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Nino hurried his way over to the room Shizuka was lying in and slid the door open. Beside Sho lay a sleeping Shizuka, her face visibly pale.  
  
"How is she?!" Nino asked hurriedly.  
  
"It's okay," Sho said, "she's alright. The doctor said it was just exhaustion. She's been working pretty hard the past few days and barely got enough sleep. And then on an exciting day at the thrill rides, well..."  
  
Nino sighed in relief. "What happened anyway?"  
  
Sho started flushing just a bit and reluctantly told his story.  
  
 _/// short flashback ///  
  
"Are you ready, Sho-kun~~" Shizuka cheered from behind him.  
  
Sho looked down from the platform and gave a silent gasp. Below the platform was nothing but… a huge space plunging to the trees below. It was as if he was taking a free -fall into the depths of hell. He could feel himself shake and tremble at the thought of the cord possibly breaking as he fell, and the hard impact that would come as his head meets the-  
  
"I..am… NOT READY!" Sho said and pushed himself unsteadily back towards the group, clutching the railings with his shaking hands. Shizuka sighed and shook her head while giggling.  
  
"I'll go first then. I'll show you it's not so bad." She said and stepped towards the instructor, who positioned her carefully on the edge.  
  
"Stay still over here," he said, "I'll take off his bungee jumping cord and secure it to you."  
  
Shizuka nodded and stayed still, her eyes roaming around the scenery ahead of her.  
  
Just then, the mountains in front of her seemed to shift. She violently shook her head and looked, but her vision seemed unstable. The throbbing pain in her head rapidly intensified and she could almost feel the ground start to trip beneath her feet.  
  
"S-SHO-KUN!" Shizuka yelled in panic, and Sho looked up.  
  
Shizuka turned slowly to face him, her face whiter than paper. Something was wrong with her since she started making consecutive misses at the shooting game and she knew it.  
  
"He - help…"  
  
And in the next moment, her eyes fell shut and her body fell back off the platform towards the abyss below.  
  
"OH MY GOSH!" a few women screamed and before anyone could blink, Sho had sprinted towards the edge and leapt off the platform, willing his body to fall faster as he reached out for Shizuka's limp body.  
  
Finally, his arms managed to reach her arms, and he wrapped his arms securely around her body in a tight embrace.  
  
"It's okay," he whispered as he felt the air spiral rapidly up around them ,"I'm here. I'm here.."  
  
He then closed his eyes and braced themselves for impact as they went down together.  
  
…  
  
Except that the impact never came, because Sho suddenly felt a sharp pull of the bungee cord around his waist, and it hoisted them both upwards before slacking again and letting them down. Sho's eyes flew open in shock as he looked around. He realised that they didn't fall into an empty abyss but nearly touched the surface of a beautiful lake amidst a beautiful forest. He could see some people waving from a far as his cord slacked once more and they went down again.  
  
"Is she alright?!" Someone yelled from the distance.  
  
Sho only felt himself nod his head a bit as some people helped them both down. He then carried Shizuka in his arms, his senses numb from the close brush with death they both had.  
  
"Oh my God, we're alive..."  
  
"Of course you are," another instructor said, "it isn't really as high as it seemed to be. We're just a short cab ride away from the hotel."  
  
"… This isn't some valley?" Sho asked uncertainly and the instructor laughed jovially.  
  
"No, no! We did make use of the illusory perception of height in here but I assure you- it wasn't really too high. Come now, let's get your friend to the hotel's sick room and have her examined."  
  
/// short flashback ///_  
  
  
Nino listened to Sho's account, his jaw dropping open.  
  
"I can't believe it."  
  
"I can't believe it either," Sho said, "I had thought we were falling to our deaths in the depths of hell or something but-"  
  
"No it's not that," Nino said, "but you didn't realise you still had the bungee cord on you?  
  
"No. I probably forgot that I still had it," Sho said, "but seeing her fall off… I reacted before I could think."  
  
"That's what I can't believe," Nino said, "that in spite of your fear of heights, you leapt down to save her."  
  
Sho felt his heart thud and looked away as he felt his face flush.  
  
"Well, thank you,"Nino said sincerely, "you saved a dear friend of mine. "  
  
"What are you talking about," Sho answered, "she's important to me too."  
  
"Oh~ she is~?" Nino teased, "how important, exactly?"  
  
He then felt a sharp jab on his elbow from the bed.  
  
"You two are damn noisy.." Shizuka grumbled.  
  
"Shizuka-chan! Are you okay? !" Sho asked anxiously.  
  
"Ah.. yeah," she answered with a sad smile on her face," I'm sorry. I must have troubled you so. I promise to sound out if I feel unwell next time."  
  
"N-no. It's okay," Sho said, "it wasn't much trouble."  
  
"Saving her life in an embrace can't possibly be trouble," Nino teased and Shizuka looked at Sho in quiet shock. Sho looked away with a reddening face.  
  
"I - I'm going to get a drink!" Sho said and hurriedly excused himself with a tomato-red face.  
  
"What exactly did you mean?" Shizuka asked Nino.  
  
"Just what I said. You fainted off the platform without a bungee cord. But Sho-kun leapt down and saved you by hugging you."  
  
"He did WHAT?!" Shizuka asked, completely mortified, "oh my. Oh my God that could not be he was so scared of heights how could he..."  
  
"He didn't seem to mind, even though he was supposedly deathly afraid of heights too," Nino said with a wink, and Shizuka rolled her eyes.  
  
"I know what you're getting at, Nino-kun. But think about it. If it were you, you wouldn't let me fall to my death either, right?" she said.  
  
Nino nodded.  
  
"It's the same with Sho-kun. He saved me because we're really good friends."  
  
"That doesn't mean it couldn't mean anything more," Nino teased and received a prompt poke in the shoulder.  
  
"Do not shoot at a calm lake," Shizuka said quietly as she laid back down, "if there's nothing, there's no point thinking that there is."  
  
She then flipped over to face the window.  
  
"I'll like to sleep now, Nino-kun."  
  
"Shall I accompany you?"  
  
Shizuka turned over to look at him.  
"Sure. But you'll just be watching me sleep. And that is quite boring."  
  
"So? What are the arrangements? Will you be staying here?" Nino asked.  
  
"I believe so. Even though I'm better now, I think I should rest a bit more and get some good food."  
  
"I'll bring you something tomorrow," he said, "maybe some really good cheese fries and a beef burger."  
  
"Mm. Yum yum. Because nothing says healthy recovery like junk food. Sure."  
  
"You're suffering from exhaustion, not malnutrition," Nino replied wittily, "anyway... erm. Can I sleep in your room tonight? Back at the hotel, that is."  
  
"Hmm? Might there be a problem with your current room? "She asked as she sat up to reach for her bag.  
  
"…you can say that," Nino replied as he watched her fish out her hotel room key and hand it to him.  
  
"Well, alright. I suppose I can understand. But rummage through my luggage and I'll really make sure your 3DS never sees the light of day."  
  
"Like I said, you're not my type," Nino rebutted with a thankful smile.  
  
"Something happened with him, right?" she asked, " Ohno-kun, I mean."  
  
"… we fought, " Nino said, "so.. I can't really sleep in the same room as him. Even with Sho around."  
  
"Nino-kun, forgive me for being indelicate," she said, "but shouldn’t you at least give him a listen? "  
  
Nino huffed. "Why the hell should I?"  
  
"Alright. Answer me. What exactly are you angry with him about?"  
  
"First he avoided me without telling me why," Nino answered coldly, "and then he suddenly pops up from nowhere and expects me to forgive him."  
  
"Well? Did he try to tell you why?"  
  
"He did but I stopped him. I don't want to remember anymore," Nino said, "I'm done..fricking done with the past and all his nonsense."  
  
"Yeah okay I get that you want to just.. well, move along and get things over and done with," Shizuka said, "but if you don't face your past head-on, you won't do a good job with the facing your future."  
  
"I don't get it."  
  
"Think of it as going back to the person who shackled you and asking for the keys to your release because your parole is due," she said, "whether you believe it or not, closure is really important."  
  
"Some things can hardly be forgotten so simply," Nino said, "like when I got-"  
  
He shook his head and stopped himself, and Shizuka's ears pricked up.  
  
"What? Go on."  
  
"Never mind," Nino said as he stood up abruptly, "anyway, I have to go."  
  
"Wait! Nino-kun!"  
  
"I'll be back tomorrow with your junk food," Nino said hurriedly and walked out of the room. Shizuka frowned lightly and sighed.  
  
"Tch. People say we're often similar but sometimes I really don't quite understand him," Shizuka sulked under her breath and laid back down in her bed, closing her eyes to sleep.  
  


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Nino walked briskly and was only stopped by Sho's grip on his arm.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing," Nino answered, "well? Will you be coming back to the hotel or will you be looking after Shizuka? She's sleeping now."  
  
"I'll watch over her a little longer and then return to the hotel," Sho said, "shall I walk you back first?"  
  
"No, I can find my way back," Nino said, "I'd rather you go and take care of Shizuka back there. You know. In case any baddies go and visit her or something."  
  
"Now why would there be baddies preying on Shizuka? Considering that you had some alcohol, it's best if I send you back." Sho insisted as he guided Nino over to the exit," she's in good hands."  
  


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Back in the hotel room, Ohno paced back and forth in his room.  
Well, not exactly his room per se, but the room he was sharing with Sho and Nino.  
  
He wondered if Jun and Aiba would mind putting up with him for one night because of the huge mistake he made. What had meant to be a chance to make up and change things between them ended up completely awry- engaging in a loud, irrational fight at the bar and outside of it, angrily (but passionately nevertheless) making out in the corner of the dark street to shut him up and convey the extent that the separation had hurt him.  
  
Yeah, he sure did change something. He was not certain just a while ago, but now he was DEFINITELY sure Nino hated him that he was the last person he'd want to see tomorrow.  
  
"Let alone tonight," Ohno groaned as he buried his face in the pillow, not knowing what to do.  
  
Just then, a voice came from the door to his room.  
  
"Hey, Ohno-san? Erm, I'm getting Nino's stuff." Sho's voice called as he walked in, and Ohno blinked in surprise.  
  
Ohno was shocked. "What happened?"  
  
"Shizuka-chan fainted off the bungee-jumping platform and is resting in the hotel's sick room," Sho said, and Ohno's eyes went wide in anxiety.  
  
"Th-then, how is she now? Is she awake?"  
  
Sho smiled. "She's alright. It seems she was stressed and overworked before coming, so she got pretty exhausted. But otherwise, she is resting well now."  
  
Ohno nodded, visibly relieved as he laid back down on the bed.  
  
"So," Sho said as he reached for Nino's bag, "Nino will be sleeping in Shizuka's hotel room until she comes back to us tomorrow."  
  
"Ah... Okay," Ohno said as he let out a sigh of relief as he rolled over.  
  
"I guess it is a good thing, huh?" Sho said and Ohno nodded into the pillow.  
  
"I don't think either of us want to see each other right now," Ohno spoke, "well, not after everything that happened."  
  
Sho pursed his lips in deep thought and decided against commenting any further. He stood up with Nino's bag in hand.  
  
"I'll buy something for us both later, so wait a little, alright?"  
  
Ohno only gave a muffled "Mmm" before relaxing his body against the soft bed. After all that had happened that day, he wanted to at least take his mind off things with a short nap.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
"Here's your bag. You sure you're sleeping here alone tonight?" Sho asked. Nino nodded as he snuggled on the bed, burying his face into a fluffy pillow.  
  
"I'd like space and rest. And I'm getting both here in Shizuka's room."  
  
"Well, if you say so," Sho answered resignedly, " Sleep well. I'll see you in the morning."  
  
Nino nodded and closed his eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
_/// flashback ///  
  
"What are you talking about?" the muscular boy sneered as he ambled towards Ohno, who knelt down on his knees.  
  
"Just let him go, won't you?!" Ohno cried angrily, "it's ME you should be attacking, not him!"  
  
"Oh-ho...but isn't it precisely the reason I want to do this? What else could possibly break your heart than something else happening to Ninomiya Kazunar-"  
  
"I beg you! I'll do anything! JUST LET HIM OFF!" Ohno begged, and the boy's eyes glinted.  
  
"Anything?"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
" I will take your word for it," the guy said and looked away with a grin on his face, "you do this one thing for me, and I will leave him alone. I swear on it."  
  
"You'd better," Ohno said as he stood up, "so what is it?"  
  
The boy turned towards him, a playful grin on his lips.  
  
"You simply undo what you have done to me," he said and Ohno almost felt his heart drop.  
  
"I... I can't do that! I-"  
  
///_  
  
  
"Ohno-kun? Ohno-kun?"  
  
Ohno felt himself getting shaken awake and his eyes opened to see Sho'd anxious face in front of him.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
Ohno breathed shallowly as he sat up on the bed.  
  
".. yeah. I just.. I just had a bad dream."  
  
Sho held up a few cans of beer.  
  
"Shall we?"  
  
  
The two men opened up their beer cans and started drinking as they stared out of the hotel room's window.  
  
"You spoke to Shizuka-chan earlier before coming here, didn't you?"  
  
"Yeah, I did."  
  
"Well..what did she do?"  
  
"She gave me a few punches on the shoulder for ditching her," Ohno answered with a smile, "and she told me about how Nino was like when I left."  
  
"Why did you leave in the first place?" Sho asked, "weren't the three of you really good friends?"  
  
Ohno looked over at him in surprise.  
  
"... Shizuka-chan told you?"  
  
Sho nodded. Ohno looked down quietly at his beer can and took a long sip.  
  
"... Sho-kun.." Ohno began, "how was middle school like for you?"  
  
"Well..ookay I guess. I scored well enough on my tests and all," Sho said.  
  
"You know how every school has its own designated group of losers?" Ohno said bitterly, "like, those group of people who somehow get picked on for the sole reason of existing?"  
  
Sho's eyes widened in slight realisation and turned to Ohno.  
  
".. Don't tell me you.."  
  
Ohno nodded in agreement.  
  
"Back then, that loser.... was me."  
  
Sho blinked in complete surprise.  
  
"I wasn't alway bullied though," Ohno said, "in the beginning of middle school, I was perfectly alright. But things changed after an important mid-term test."  
  
Sho waited for him to continue.  
  
"... I reported someone for cheating," Ohno said, "and that someone happened to be the son of the principal. He was banned from the rest of the tests and was suspended."  
  
Sho's grip on his beer can tightened as he took in the new bit of information.  
  
"When his suspension was over.." Ohno said shakily, "... I became his punching bag."  
  
"Wouldn't Nino have known if you were bullied? The two of you went to the same school after all."  
  
"We were in a different class. Also, I happened to be in the same class as the principal's son."  
  
"...so you didn't tell him because you did not want to worry him?" Sho asked, and Ohno looked away.  
  
"Yeah. I tried to hide it to ensure he didn't find out. Thankfully enough, he did not. But... I ended up hurting him nevertheless after all."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Ohno sighed and looked up at the sky, the moon staring back down forlornly at the two men.  
  
"Because we loved each other," the answer came out of Ohno's lips in a painful whisper, as if the account that followed it squeezed the life out of his beating heart.


	7. Chapter 7

Shizuka stretched in the bed of the sick room, her eyes fluttering open as she gazed up at the whirring fan right above her.

  
She sat up and reached over to her bag to grab her red Nintendo 3DS and started playing. Just then, her phone rang in her bag and she picked it up.

  
"Hello?"

  
"Andou-san? This is the school office calling," a chirpy voice spoke, "your flight to the Czech Republic has been confirmed to be in 3rd January next year."

  
"Ah, next January? Okay. I get it. So what should I do now for the next.. well.. 3 months?"

  
"You can clear the annual project of the year before leaving. You will also be sent the paperwork required for your transfer overseas like your training programme details and..."

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Sho walked into the sick room just in time to see Shizuka hang up the call, her eyes looking a bit downcast.

  
"Shizuka-chan?"

  
Shizuka looked up hurriedly at him, memories flashing back to what had happened yesterday. She tried not to feel her cheeks warming in slight embarrassment as she waved him over.

  
"Sho-kun! Good morning."

  
Sho smiled and walked to her bed.

  
"Are you better now?"

  
"Yeah. All thanks to you."

  
Now it was Sho's turn to blush and look away.

  
"I-it was nothing, really."

  
"But I'm really sorry I did that," Shizuka said timidly, "you had to do that even though you're scared of heights..."

  
"No, I'm glad I did," Sho said firmly, "you mean a lot to me after all."

  
Shizuka blinked in surprise and Sho caught himself at his words.

  
"O-of course, to Nino-kun and Ohno-kun too! I mean, you're a good friend of theirs after all, so I-"

  
"Thank you," Shizuka said quietly with a smile and laid back down on the bed.

  
"I should probably rest if I'm going to be released later for book-shopping," Shizuka said as she removed her spectacles, "do you mind if I sleep a little?"

  
Sho shook his head.

  
"You really ought to. I can read while accompanying you."

  
Shizuka gave him a relieved look and gently closed her eyes to sleep as Sho picked out his book to read, glancing over at Shizuka's sleeping form from time to time.

  
"An illusion..huh.." Sho pondered as he thought back on the words of the bungee instructor the day before.

  
/// short flashback ///

  
_"It was really scary just now," Sho said as the taxi driver drove on, "I thought we were falling into the depths of a valley or something."_  


  
_"No no no," the trainer laughed at the notion, "but standing on that platform made it seem just like it, right?"_  


_Sho nodded._

  
_"That's a trick of the human mind," the instructor said wisely._  


  
_Sho looked at him in a mix of surprise and awe._  


  
_"Really?"_  


  
_The instructor nodded sagely._  


_"Someone once said that 'there is no greater illusion than fear', and that is very much true. Fear makes every situation seem a lot more scarier and more dangerous than it really is. It magnifies and exaggerates to achieve its main motive of scaring you," he said._

  
_"Really.." Sho mumbled to himself as he looked over at Shizuka, who remained unconscious beside him._  


  
_"...do you happen to be scared of heights?"_  


  
_Sho blinked and nodded. The instructor smiled cheekily._  


  
_"Well, I guess that height that you fell from won't scare you much anymore," he remarked with a hearty laugh._  


  
_"Don't say that! It was really scary! I thought we were going to-"_  


  
_"But you found something that you feared even more than just jumping from there, right?" the instructor asked, the knowing smile still remaining on his face._  


 

_/// short flashback ///_

  
"That thing that I fear more..." Sho murmured as his eyes flitted over to Shizuka's sleeping face, his fingers slowly reaching over to brush her fringe out of her face. As his fingers brushed lightly over her forehead, she flinched lightly as if it tickled and flipped her body to the side to face Sho.

  
"Ah, you're here?"

  
Sho hurriedly drew his hand back and turned to see Ohno in the doorway.

  
"How is she?" Ohno asked as he neared her.

  
"She's alright. She's just resting a bit until she gets released. After which, I'll go book-shopping with her."

  
"... about last night..." Ohno said uncertainly, "can you not tell her yet?"

  
"You mean all the stuff you told me about last night?" Sho asked and frowned as he looked back at Shizuka, whose lips drew into a peaceful smile.

  
"Alright. I won't," Sho said, "I don't see how it will help your situation at all, but alright. I won't say a thing."

  
Ohno nodded with a relieved smile and sat down by the bed with Sho.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Nino awoke to a sound knocking on the door. Rubbing his eyes, he shuffled over and opened the door to a very cheerful-looking Aiba.

  
"Ninoooo-kun~~" Aiba cheered as he wrapped his arms around NIno, "I have the best boyfriend ever!"

  
"Yes yes yes, I know, now get off me!" Nino yelled grumpily as he rubbed his eyes, "I'm only half awake.."

  
"Anyhow," Jun said from behind Aiba, "we're going to the sick room. Sho just told us about what happened yesterday and we're picking Shizuka-chan up now."

  
"Oh? Already?" Nino murmured sleepily.

  
"What 'already'? It's 12 noon!" Aiba said with a laugh.

  
Nino blinked. "Ah right.. I have to buy her some beef burger and cheese fries."

  
Jun wrinkled his nose. "It's junk food for a sick patient."

  
"I happen to know that this particular patient LOVES junk food like that."

  
"We can try the fast food outlets downstairs," Aiba suggested and walked ahead.

  
"... So?"

  
Nino looked at Jun puzzledly.

  
"So what?"

  
"Have you spoken to Ohno-kun?"

  
"What are you talking about?"

  
"Whatever had happened seven years ago," Jun said, and Nino looked at him in surprise.

  
"You KNOW?"

  
Jun sighed. "But I will leave it to him to tell you. I'm sure he prefers it that way rather than letting his roommate blabber on about it."

  
"No, wait," Nino stopped Jun in his tracks, "why is it that you know about us and I don't know a thing?"

  
"Because he told me."

  
"But he never told me!"

  
"That's because you always refused to listen," Jun said sternly, "if you had really known what Ohno-kun had been through back in middle school, you will understand why he left."

  
"But-"

  
"Nino-kun, Jun-kun!" Aiba called from the lift and Jun sighed.

  
"Please," Jun said, "at least give him a listen. If you can't take the truth, you can do whatever you wish. But at least let him speak to alleviate the pain from the last 7 years. As his roommate, seeing him struggling with his guilt is.. unbearable."

  
Nino frowned at Jun's words. They sounded awfully like the very words Shizuka spoke to him the day before. It was almost as if even the people around them had started to see that his attitude towards their situation was wrong. Some part of him knew.. but he just refused to admit it.

  
As he followed Jun and Aiba around with thoughts swirling around endlessly in his head, he wondered if he had been too cold towards him. Much as he hated to agree, Ohno seemed to be contrite in his intentions to clear up everything. And yet something about him just made him want to bite back at everything he said.

  
"What am I doing..." Nino wondered as he stepped blankly into a burger shop, as confused about his feelings as he always had been,"I don't even know anymore."

  
Shizuka was checked by the doctor and was finally cleared to be released for the day's activities.

  
"Once again, I'm really sorry for troubling everyone.." she said awkwardly as she strolled out with the other guys.

  
"No trouble at all. Well, shall we go out today?" Jun asked.

  
"Actually," Sho said quickly, "I was thinking I'd accompany her book shopping."

  
"Would the two of you be alright on your own?" Aiba asked worriedly and Shizuka nodded her head and looked towards Nino.

  
"What are your plans for the day?"

  
Nino looked completely disinterested.

  
"I'm just going back to my room to sleep and play games."

  
"Ah right," Shizuka said, "but that will be MY room tonight, right?"

  
"That's true..." Sho mumbled thoughtfully, "so you should move all your stuff back over to the other room."

  
"HAH?! What happened to relaxing in my room?!"

  
"You can relax in your room after moving your stuff over and deciding where to sleep," Jun said simply.

  
"Ohno-kun took the bed while I took the couch," Sho informed, "so you can pick one or the other."

  
"Right, time's a-wasting. We ought to head out soon," Aiba said.

  
"Bye guys! See you all at dinner!" Shizuka called as she eagerly shuffled ahead in the direction of the bookstores with Sho.

 

Just then, it hit Nino.

 

 

 

  
"OI! SHO! YOU DIDN'T GIVE ME YOUR KEY!" Nino called but Sho was already out of sight and he found himself very unfortunately left alone with the last person he had wanted to see. Ever.

  
"... I have the key," Ohno said softly and Nino cast him an annoyed look before sighing.

  
"Fine. Show me the way."

  
"Ah! Sho-kun, I think you forgot to give him the key!" Shizuka said in alarm as she paused in her steps and looked behind to see Nino and Ohno leaving for the lifts.

  
"It's fine," Sho said as he urged her along, "leave Ohno to take care of him, alright?"

  
Shizuka smirked. "Who knew you'd be so mean to him?"

  
"Mean to him? Never!" Sho said with a knowing grin and pointed over to a bookshop nearby, "that looks good. Let's go and have a look."

  
Shizuka happily followed along, the sparks in her eyes brightening her face.

  
Up in his room, Nino grumbled he stuffed his clothes inside his bag. Part of him just KNEW that Sho had purposefully set things up for Ohno to speak to him.

  
"That idiot.." Nino mumbled his pajamas went into his bag in a crumpled fistful. He then carried his bag over to the room next door and knocked on it. Seconds later, the door swung open to reveal a slightly nervous Ohno Satoshi.

  
"Well.. erm. Come in."

  
Nino said nothing but shuffled in and looked around for a space to put his bag.

  
"Where are you sleeping tonight?" Nino asked.

  
"I slept on the bed last night."

  
"Okay," NIno said and took out his 3DS, making himself at home on the huge couch in the room, "I will stay here then."

  
"The couch?"

  
Nino made no reply and simply fiddled with his 3DS.

  
"Nino?"

  
"..."

  
"..K-Kazu?"

  
Nino glared at the man sitting on the bed.

  
"If I didn't say anything when you called me Nino, what makes you think I'd say anything when you called me 'Kazu'?!"

  
".. But you did," Ohno said with a blank look and Nino only huffed stubbornly in response.

  
"Shut up. Leave me alone."

  
"... At least we're talking," Ohno thought to himself as he reached for the remote control and switched on the TV. He then dragged the corners of the blanket on the bed and pulled them over himself, making the blanket wrap around him like seaweed on onigiri.

  
When Ohno said nothing else, Nino looked up at him curiously and followed his eyes to see...

  
"Tch. You still like watching marine documentaries?" he asked.

  
Ohno nodded in response. "I like fishes, that's why."

  
"Then again, you always had," Nino said as he looked back down at his 3DS. Ohno's eyes flit over to Nino, a faint warmth settling in his heart.

  
At least he hadn't forgotten that.

  
Nino looked out of the window, seeing the skies drizzle lightly.

  
_/// flashback ///_  


  
_"Ah, you got hurt here..." Nino murmured with a pout as he brushed his fingers over Ohno's cut lip. Ohno smiled and shook his head._  


  
_"I just fell down and got hurt. It's nothing big."_  


  
_"Geez, be a bit more careful," Nino said as he snuggled closer to Ohno, staring out at the rainy skies above them as they took shelter under a small pavilion._  


  
_"Ahh.. this will teach me to not bring an umbrella," Nino complained, "now we'll have to wait it out here before we could head over to my house."_  


  
_"It's okay," Ohno said as he stood and looked up mysteriously at the rain, "I like the rain. There's something so...comforting about it."_  


  
_"Really?" Nino asked as he followed Ohno's eyes to look at the sky._  


  
_"It's soft, "Ohno answered thoughtfully, "quiet. Cleansing too. It's almost as if it's rinsing bad things out of the town so everything feels brand new."_  


  
_"That's one way of looking at it, I guess," Nino murmured in agreement as he reached out a hand to catch the rain in his hands. He then looked over at Ohno and linked their arms affectionately together._  


  
_"The rain reminds me of you though," Nino said quietly with a blush as he looked away._  


  
_"Why?"_  


  
_"It's soft, quiet and comforting like you," Nino answered, "well, you're a lot warmer though."_  


  
_Ohno chuckled and drew him closer, their arms wrapping around each other as they warmed each other up amidst the pouring rain.  
The pair enjoyed a short time of comfortable silence as they basked in the warmth of their embrace._  


  
_"Ne, Kazu," Ohno said softly, "do you think we'll still be together in high school?"_  


  
_"What's with that question?" Nino asked with a curious look._  


  
_"Just wondering," Ohno said as he looked up at the skies with a slightly troubled look, "you know. Some couples last longer than five years, some others less..."_  


  
_Nino's grip on Ohno's arm tightened as Nino stared into the distance._  


  
_"We will be, and even after that when we go to college, we will be," Nino said, "I'm not going anywhere, I promise."_  


  
_"You do?"_  


  
_Nino nodded. "You won't too, right?"_  


  
_Ohno smiled warmly and dropped a light kiss on his forehead and looked back up at the rain._  


_"Never," he whispered, "I promise."_

_/// flashback ///_

  
"Do you.. still like the rain?" Nino asked quietly. Ohno looked at him in surprise.

"... Mm. Yeah. I still like it. Do you?" Ohno asked back gently, and Nino flushed at his own question.

"I don't know," he answered after clearing his throat, "but I don't dislike it."

With that, he took his 3DS with him and went out of the room. Ohno bit his lip for a moment before returning to watching television.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Sho watched as Shizuka wandered around the horror and thriller shelves.

  
"You have a very interesting taste in books," Sho commented and Shizuka flashed him a Cheshire grin.

  
"Oh dear, am I scaring you?" she teased, "I have a whole shelf dedicated to horror stories by the great-"

  
"I don't need to know that!"

  
Shizuka laughed mischievously as she turned back to the shelves and looked up some titles.

  
"Don't you read stuff like romance novels or such?" Sho asked curiously, "it's a rather popular genre."

  
Shizuka's eyes fell slightly, the curve of her lips now flat.

  
"Not really," she said, "it's hard for me to get into it."

  
"Really?"

  
Shizuka looked sadly at the romance shelves.

  
"Yeah. Somehow, I don't quite understand them."

  
Sho looked at her in complete shock and surprise.

  
"What do you mean?"

  
Shizuka shrugged and looked straight at Sho.

  
"I just can't.. well.. emphathise. Not as much as I used to," Shizuka said.

  
"So you used to.."

  
Shizuka nodded, her eyes slightly empty and her voice almost a bit cold.

  
"Nino knows him too. ... my ex, that is."

  
Sho held himself inhale sharply at her words as they wrapped around his heart like a noose.

  
"I-I'm sorry I asked. I didn't mean to-"

  
"Oh, don't worry about it," Shizuka said with a smile, "I'm really am over him. Really. My lack of empathy is not because of him."

  
"Oh.. that is good," Sho said.

  
"I'll just put it this way. The magic behind tricks are gone once you've learnt how to perform them," she said cryptically, "I sometimes envy others who have every expectation in the world while I have none."

  
"That.. is a bit sad, isn't it?" Sho said as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Shizuka looked up at him and shrugged.

  
"Well, scientific research has shown that people who know too much are less happy," Shizuka stated, pushing up her glasses,"it's just a proven fact. There's hardly anything happy or sad about it."

  
With that, she grabbed a few titles off the horror shelf and headed for the counter, and Sho wondered why her back seemed a bit lonely.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
After a hearty dinner, Shizuka decided to return to her room for the night while Aiba and Jun decided to shop around some more.

  
That was how Ohno, Sho and Nino found themselves at the bar with their mugs of beer.

  
"I have stuff to ask you about," Sho said, "do you know about Shizuka's ex?"

  
Ohno looked up in interest. "Shizuka-chan had an ex?"

  
"Oh, Yamada Tarou-kun?" Nino said as he recalled, "yeah. Quite the gentleman, he was."

  
"So you DO know him!" Sho said.

  
"Well, me and Shizuka went to the same high school after all. Naturally, I'd know her ex. But.. things weren't the same after he parted."

  
Nino gulped down a mouthful of beer before continuing.

  
"They were very much in love, but their parents forbade it. Her parents disapproved of her choice because he was not really well-to-do," Nino said with a sad look on his face, "and his traditionalist parents disliked her independent attitude. So as much as they loved each other, they parted on a common understanding for the good of their families."

  
Ohno listened attentively as he nodded understandingly.

"So.. she did not really want it then?"

  
"Not at that point in time. But she did move on. Even if it was a bit too quickly," Nino remarked, "she became even more withdrawn and skeptical than before."

  
Sho took a sip as he felt the story of Shizuka's history sink into his mind.

  
"Hmm.. Reminds me of someone I know," Sho said and Nino levelled a glare at him, "skeptical, withdrawn.. fits you to a tee at the moment."

  
"Shut up," Nino said.

  
"Nino," Ohno said, "I.."

  
"Look," Nino said exasperatedly, "I know that everyone is asking me to listen, but I really am not ready."

  
"Did you think he was ready when he told me or Jun?" Sho asked sternly.

  
"Sho-kun," Ohno said, "please. Let me."

  
_"Nino-kun, forgive me for being indelicate," she said, "but shouldn't you at least give him a listen? "_  


_"That's because you always refused to listen. If you had really known what Ohno-kun had been through back in middle school, you will understand why he left."_

_"Please. At least give him a listen. If you can't take the truth, you can do whatever you wish. But at least let him speak to alleviate the pain from the last 7 years."_

  
Nino took a deep breath.

  
"Very well," Nino said shakily as he exhaled to clear his mind and heart, "talk."

  
"But firstly," Sho said,"what made you avoid Shizuka-chan in the first place?"

  
Memories of being beaten up in the boys' bathroom and left with a bleeding head, a bruised back and bleeding legs rushed through his mind.

  
"I was bullied very badly. Every now and then I'd be beaten up by-"

  
"Well, someone saw that."

  
Nino looked up in shock. "Who?!"

  
When no one said anything and Ohno looked down guiltily, Nino was aghast.

  
"N-no.. you could not have.."

  
"Nino.. I'm sorry.." Ohno said with damp eyes,"I'm sorry! It was because of me! "

  
Nino felt his blood run cold and his hands became damp with sweat.

  
"Wh-what are you talking about?"

  
Sho patted Ohno encouragingly on the back. The next words that came out of Ohno's mouth undid him on the inside.

"That guy was not targeting you in the first place- it was me he wanted.."

Nino felt his stomach drop as the fact sank into his mind.

  
"Then.. those times when you were injured was because...

  
Ohno nodded. "I was bullied first."

  
"How.. did that happen?"

  
Sho gave a grave look as he spoke.

"That boy was targeting him from the beginning because he reported him for cheating on a major test and gotten him suspended with a dark mark on his record. He was furious.. and Ohno-kun became his target."

  
"No..."

  
"And when he saw the two of you taking shelter in the rain together, he found out Ohno-kun's weakness- you."

  
Every word that came out of Sho's mouth started to unravel everything that Nino knew like a piece of thread, the truth of the matter surfacing little by little.

  
"After I found you, I went to look for him," Ohno said ," and he promised me not to touch you ever again on the condition I did something for him. ... I had to accompany him to steal the answer key to the year-end examinations."

The memories became clearer in Nino's mind- Ohno's absent seat in the examinations, the rumours, the sight of him being led away several times into the discipline master's office and even the principal's office.

  
"And.. you were caught?"

  
Ohno nodded.

  
"It was his idea, but he took the opportunity and made me the scapegoat of his deed," Ohno said, "and I was not allowed to take the examinations at all."

  
"Oh my God.."

  
"But things could have been worse," Ohno added quickly, "at least the teachers believed I was not capable of such a deed and pleaded for my case, believing I was framed. So I was let off without a mark on my record.. but I was to transfer to another school in another town."

  
With blurry eyes, Nino then recalled him receiving that one last phonecall on that fateful day.

  
_"I'm leaving."_  


_"I'm moving far away. I'll be transferring to the school there too."_

  
_"Goodbye, Ninomiya-kun."_  


_"NO! DON'T YOU DARE!"_

  
Sho and Ohno held their breaths as they watched Nino stare into space, an unreadable expression on his face.  
A pin-drop silence fell between the three men, and it was broken by Nino taking a sharp, difficult breath.

  
"...Leave.."

  
Nino muttered.

  
"Nino-"

  
"LEAVE!"

  
Ohno flinched with a sad expression on his face, walking out of the bar. Sho sighed exasperatedly and forcefully grabbed Nino by the collar.

  
"What do you want?!" Sho demanded, "why are you so goddamn stubborn?!"

  
"You don't get it!" Nino yelled, "do you know how stupid and horrible I feel now?!"

  
Sho froze as warm tears fell from Nino's eyes.

  
"I thought he left me because he hated me," he said between deep breaths, "all this time for the past seven years I always thought he was pushing me away.. and then now with all this, everything I did was so... stupid.. I just.."

  
His grip on Nino's collar loosened as Nino slumped on his seat, feeling his heart twist in anger at Ohno and himself, regret and remorse.

  
"Why?! Why does it hurt so badly even after all this time?! It was supposed to be something that was seven years ago but now I.."

"...It's because you still love him, isn't it?"

Nino blinked through his tears as the realisation of everything he felt and cut through his heart like a knife.

  
"That is how intense your feelings for him have been," Sho said, "it's because you really cannot bear the thought that he had even left you, right?"

Nino felt his warm tears seep into the front of his shirt as he felt his emotions stirring in his heart, knowing that this time Ohno was not the one pushing him away, but he was the one shutting Ohno away from him and now he may not even be able to get him back even if he had wished to.

 

"Go."

  
That one word felt like a light in their dark situation. Nino looked uncertainly at Sho.

  
"Go now. After him. Tell him everything you just told me. Do it for him, and for yourself."

  
With a deep breath, Nino jumped off the chair and sprinted out of the bar into the night.

  
Sho watched him go with a soft smile on his face.

  
"I guess the Ice Prince has finally thawed," he said to himself as he looked at the table where Nino's tears had fallen.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A SONGFIC CHAPTER~~~ :D :D :D
> 
> Credits go to yarukizero@LJ for translating lyrics that inspired this story and this scene :D :D
> 
> Song: "full of love", Arashi

Ohno paced himself a short distance away from the bar and bolted into the dim streets, his mind focused only on getting away as far from Nino as he possibly could. When he had reached a fair distance away, he slowed his steps and looked around at the empty stalls around him. He took a deep breath and sighed, looking up into the dark skies above him. The moon and the stars shone brightly above him, giving his surroundings a surreal, nightly glow.  
  
After seven whole years of quiet, painful longing for the other, he had finally revealed that he had left to protect him in the only way he thought he could. It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.  
  
He still had no idea if Nino could ever accept that reason.  
He still had no idea if what he did back then was right.  
He also had no idea if there was even an inkling of a possibility that they could be back together.  
  
"But I guess none of that really matters," Ohno whispered to himself as he looked back down at the ground, "as long as we are both set free from our past."  
  
With that resolve in mind, he exhaled a cloud of white breath as he took slow, steady steps in no particular direction, allowing the quiet cold of the night air to comfort him.  
  
_**風になれ...  
Become the wind**_  
  
The ground remained damp with small puddles along the roads and pavements as the human traffic around the amusement park began to thin. The crowded chatter and buzz had softened in the night to little more than soft, quiet murmurs. He shivered lightly as a soft, cold breeze blew across the side of his neck.  
  
  
_**いつの間に雨はあがって　月と星が顔を出して**_  
 _ **朝を待つほど　想う distance**_  
 _ **同じ空見てる？　君の中僕はいる？**_  
 _ **止まってない時間　迷い込んで**_  
 _ **Before I knew it, the rain had stopped　And the moon and stars appeared**_  
 _ **The longer I wait for the morning, the more I think of the distance between us**_  
 _ **Are you looking at the same sky?　Am I inside of you?**_  
 _ **I'm lost in this time that won't stop**_  
  
"The rain had stopped, huh," Ohno thought as he looked up at the sky.  
  
_"Do you.. still like the rain?"_  
"I don't know... but I don't dislike it."  
  
Nino's words in the hotel room came at him like a distant memory- a memory of them looking together at the same rainy sky on that day seven years ago. His lips curled into a soft smile as he recalled their brief exchange in the hotel room. At least Nino had remembered that day too. Even if they had become more distant than ever, somehow Ohno knew that their memories together would keep them connected somehow.  
  
  
_**眠れず　遠くに　滲んで見えた**_  
 _ **朝焼けの空は奇麗で**_  
 _ **優しい　ぬくもり　胸に込み上げ**_  
 _ **確かなものを探すため**_  
 _ **Unable to sleep, I saw the morning glow in the sky**_  
 _ **Blurred into the distance, it was beautiful**_  
 _ **The gentle warmth fills my heart**_  
 _ **So that I can search for something that's certain**_  
  
His slow footsteps passed by a small playground, and his eyes looked over at it with fond eyes as he recalled the day when they finally plucked up the courage to be honest with their feelings. In his mind's eye he saw everything- the orange glow of the rising sun in the horizon, the way the rays of light swept across the playground, the way they illuminated Nino's face as their lips touched for the first time. He could never forget the gentle warmth around them back then, and even at that present moment he could still feel it in his heart.  
  
"I...like you, Nino," he whispered the same words from that day, as if reliving it in that moment.  
  
  
_**親愛なる君へ　舟を漕ぎ出して**_  
 _ **風になれ**_  
 _ **その奇跡を描いて　想い溢れ出て**_  
 _ **すぐ君のもとへ**_  
 _ **Toward you who are dear to me, I began to row my boat**_  
 _ **Become the wind**_  
 _ **Portraying this miracle, my feelings overflow**_  
 _ **I'll go straight to where you are**_  
  
Nino bolted fast out of the bar and sprinted along the pavement, his mind reeling and confused as he struggled between absorbing the facts from a while ago and focusing on searching for Ohno. The air whizzed past him like a rushing wind as he made a mad dash towards the nearest signboard that showed a map of the shopping district and amusement park. He quickly looked through it as he made a note of his location and the rough outline of the theme park.  
  
"Please," he quietly prayed under his breath as he started running off in the direction of the amusement park, "please be there."  
  
  
  
  
Ohno shuffled leisurely into a Starbucks cafe and took his place in a queue of people.  
Soon enough, his turn came to place an order...  
And he did not see Nino run past the cafe from behind him.  
  
_**あの約束を　囁いたこと**_  
 _ **君はまだ覚えてるの？**_  
 _ **波がたぐり寄せた　理由なんていらなかった**_  
 _ **心が触れ合った　瞬間を**_  
 _ **Do you still remember**_  
 _ **Whispering that promise?**_  
 _ **I didn't need the reason pulled in by the waves**_  
 _ **The moment our hearts touched each other...**_  
  
_"Ne, Kazu. Do you think we'll still be together in high school?"_  
"We will be, and even after that when we go to college, we will be. I'm not going anywhere, I promise."  
  
"I wonder if he still remembered what he said then," Ohno thought as he carried his warm cup of Caffe Americano out of the shop. Then again, he reflected, they had been together for a very long time ever since that day at the playground when he offered him a cookie. Somehow, there was no particular reason why they could get along from such a young age- they just did.  
  
  
**_海へと　連れ去る　涙の跡は_**  
 ** _幾つもの記憶繋いで_**  
 ** _いつからだろうか？　君を想うたび_**  
 ** _微笑みさえも切なくて_**  
 ** _The tracks left by tears taken away to the ocean_**  
 ** _Are connected to many memories_**  
 ** _Since from when was it that every time I think of you_**  
 ** _Even smiles are painful?_**  
  
  
Nino panted heavily as he stopped in his tracks inside the vacant theme park. He felt tears roll down his cheeks as he looked around at the empty stalls and benches. There was no one around and yet on the contrary to what he had expected, it was too hard to find him.  
  
"You promised you won't go anywhere," Nino panted in shallow breaths as he looked around while feeling completely lost, "and I promised I won't either..."  
  
He flopped down tiredly on a bench (it had been YEARS since he last ran so much), the story behind Ohno's departure a long time ago resurfacing again in his mind. His heart ached as he thought back on how they had met- and how Ohno had tried desperately hard to get his attention or to remind him of their shared memories.  
  
_"...Do you think Shizuka-chan has found her prince yet?"_  
"You don't remember? The faceless prince she's marrying?"  
  
And that smile. That one smile that hid every scar that was inflicted on him.  
  
"This won't do," Nino hissed as he wiped his tears and stood up, readying himself to look around for Ohno some more.  
  
  
  
  
_**重なり合う日々に　記した想いは**_  
 _ **忘れないで**_  
 _ **イタズラな未来に　変わりはしないさ**_  
 _ **いま君のもとへ**_  
 _ **In the days that pile up, don't forget the feelings you wrote down**_  
 _ **The tricky future won't change**_  
 _ **Now, I'll go to where you are**_  
  
On the other side of the theme park, Ohno had made himself comfortable on a bench as he thumbed through his sketchbook that he always carried with him in his bag. He smiled as his fingers traced the outlines of a 7-year old Nino that he drew from memory and a 14-year-old Nino that he drew from pure observation.  
  
And finally, near the bottom of the sketchbook was his rather recent sketches of a grownup Ninomiya Kazunari, his playful, mischievous childlike features only becoming more and more attractive with age.  
  
"Maybe I should return to the hotel now," Ohno murmured, "I wouldn't want to worry anyone."  
  
  
  
  
Just as he got up, he felt a wet prickling sensation on the nape of his neck. He looked up to see that the rain had returned for the rest of the night, and it was picking up fast. Within half a minute, the heavy rain pelted down mercilessly on the rest of the amusement park as Ohno stuffed his sketchbook in his bag and hurried towards the nearest place to shelter himself from the rain. From between his squinted eyes, he could see himself approaching a small pavilion that served as a rest stop for patrons. He carefully paced himself towards the pavilion, placing his bag down and sitting down on the seat.  
  
  
  
**_夢の中　君を見た　触れたら　儚くて_**  
 ** _I saw you in a dream　If I touch you, you'll disappear_**  
  
Ohno looked up at the pouring rain, as if spacing out in a small trance. With an outstretched hand, he reached out with an open palm, letting the cool rain pool a small puddle in the palm of his hand.  
  
  
**_月夜に...　会いにゆくから_**  
 ** _Because I'll go to meet you... in the moonlit night_**  
  
_"The rain reminds me of you though,"_  
"Why?"  
"It's soft, quiet and comforting like you. Well, you're a lot warmer though."  
  
Ohno smiled as those words that lingered in his memory replayed in his mind like a gentle whisper amidst the pouring rain. He closed his eyes as he focused his senses on the cool, comforting sensation in his hand. And in the midst of his concentration.. he heard loud, splashing footsteps of someone running towards him.  
  
  
_**親愛なる君へ　舟を漕ぎ出して**_  
 _ **風になれ**_  
 _ **その奇跡を描いて　想い溢れ出て**_  
 _ **すぐ君のもとへ**_  
  
_**Toward you who are dear to me, I began to row my boat**_  
 _ **Become the wind**_  
 _ **Portraying this miracle, my feelings overflow**_  
 _ **I'll go straight to where you are**_  
  
  
Before Ohno could tell what was happening, a strong force knocked him slightly off balance as something warm and yet soaking wet wrapped itself tightly around his body. His eyes flickered open in shock as he looked down to see that it was Ninomiya Kazunari himself, his clothes and hair completely drenched from being in the rain.  
  
"N-Nino.."  
  
"Oh-chan.."  
  
Ohno almost felt his heart stop as he heard that familiar name.  
  
"Oh-chan..." Nino's muffled shaky voice came from against his shoulder," I'm so sorry..."  
  
"No," Ohno said as he gripped Nino's shoulder firmly," it's not you-"  
  
"No it is!" Nino protested between tears, "I was always the one pushing you away without knowing what the hell was happening and I... I just..."  
  
"Kazu," Ohno said gently as cupped Nino's cheeks tenderly in his wet palms and brought his face closer to him.  
  
_**重なり合う日々に　記した想いは**_  
 _ **忘れないで**_  
 _ **イタズラな未来に　変わりはしないさ**_  
 _ **いま君のもとへ**_  
 _ **In the days that pile up, don't forget the feelings you wrote down**_  
 _ **The tricky future won't change**_  
 __ **Now, I'll go to where you are**  
  
Their lips touched gently and Nino closed his eyes as he felt more tears streaming out of his eyes. Yet those were not tears of sadness or confusion, but those of joy. Amidst the cold, Nino wrapped his arms tightly around Ohno, searching for warmth in their kiss and the warmth of the other man's body temperature. Ohno smiled into the kiss and deepened it as he slipped his tongue into Nino's. Unlike the kiss from before, it was not one of anguish and hurt, but of tender feelings of affection that lasted for more than seven years. When they finally parted, Ohno laid his forehead on Nino's, softly brushing their noses together.  
  
  
"Oh-chan," Nino whispered, "from then till now, I.. I've always loved you. Even after you left and even after we met again, I.."  
  
Ohno felt his heart warm up as he softly kissed Nino's nose.  
  
"Me too," he said, "I've always loved you.. and I always will."  
  
For the first time in a long while, Nino broke into a genuine smile as he tugged Ohno close to him in a warm embrace. Ohno responded by wrapping his own arms around Nino, sharing the warmth in their hearts. And the seven years' worth of distance between them was finally dissolved away into the rain.


	9. Chapter 9

Nino's eyes widened in a mix of surprise and awe as he thumbed through Ohno's sketchbook. Over and over his eyes caught his own reflection on a piece of paper.  
  
"You drew ALL of these? "  
  
Ohno nodded. "I drew your younger self from memory. The recent ones… well… I watched you."  
  
Nino felt the warmth in his heart spread as he closed the book and handed it back to Ohno.  
  
"I didn't think you would still draw me or anything," Nino said, "back then you were already avoiding me and stuff.. so when you left so suddenly back then, I was so sure you didn't like me or something..."  
  
"The truth didn't turn out the way you thought, huh," Ohno said with a smile.  
  
Nino shook his head and looked down sadly.  
  
"When I did learn of it back there, I felt like an idiot," he confessed,"I thought back on the times I was so hurtful and cold and I felt so, so stupid. I'm sorry, Oh-chan, I.."  
  
"Shh.."Ohno shushed gently with a soft kiss on his forehead," it was my fault too. I made sure you didn't know about it. It couldn't be helped if you misunderstood it."  
  
"Still.." Nino mumbled, "sorry."  
  
Ohno pulled away and straightened them both up in their seat.  
  
"Well.. we've wasted a long seven years with that misunderstanding," he spoke, "so… shall we stop? "  
  
Nino blinked in shock.  
"Wh-what did you mean by that?"  
  
Ohno smiled. "The past is now past.… shall we live in the now and the future? "  
  
"So.. we're together again then?" Nino asked.  
  
Ohno nodded and leaned forward, dropping a gentle kiss on Nino's cheek.  
  
"If you'll have me," he whispered. For the first time in a long while, Nino broke into a genuine smile and returned the gesture with a kiss on Ohno's cheek.  
  
"No. If YOU'LL have me," he said cheekily just before their lips met once more in a warm kiss. Ohno's hands slipped around Nino's waist as he cradled him closer to him.  
  
"So," Nino whispered huskily, "I guess we're sharing the bed later?"  
  
Ohno frowned. "We're sharing it with Sho-kun."  
  
"Oh, don't you worry about him," Nino said as he leaned over and kissed Ohno's smooth neck, "I know what to do."

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Shizuka packed her bags and walked over to her laptop, her eyes scanning the script of the musical for their yearly project.  
  
Just then, the doorbell rang. Puzzled, she walked over and opened the door.  
  
"…Sho-kun? Whatever are you doing here?"  
  
"I have something to talk about," Sho said with a wry smile.  
  
"You do, huh..." Shizuka said with a thoughtful look,"shall we go to the café downstairs? I was just thinking of getting something to drink."  
  
Minutes later, Shizuka listened in eager attention as Sho spoke about what had happened on the bar.  
  
"So," Shizuka said, her face glowing with soft pride,"I assume they are together?"  
  
"I don't know," Sho said, "but if they could find each other after spending seven years apart, their luck must be good."  
  
"I suppose, " Shizuka said with a knowing grin as she sipped on her black coffee.  
  
"So…" Sho spoke between sips of his drink, "how is your project coming along?"  
  
"Mmm.. a romance musical like the one Jun-kun wrote is a bit challenging in ensuring the mood is strong in certain scenes, but I can work with Nino to get the arrangements done."  
  
"I see. You've got it all thought out then?"  
  
Shizuka nodded. "Now that our dear Ice  
Prince is thawed, I think this would be good for him too, don't you think? "  
  
Sho laughed and nodded in response.  
  
"Speaking of him... how will our car arrangements be tomorrow?"  
  
Shizuka thought for a moment.  
  
"Right.. we can't separate the happy couple," she murmured, "shall we let Ohno sit with us too? Jun-kun and Aiba-kun can have a nice time together. "  
  
"But wouldn't it be odd?" Sho asked, "see, you're childhood friends with them both. Wouldn't they think it odd to be together with their childhood friend watching them from the front? I think they should sit in Jun-kun’s car."  
  
"Ehh… really? Well if you say so, " Shizuka said,"though I reallly don't think they would mind if I was there."  
  
"But we don't know that, do we? "  
  
"Well..I guess you have a point," Shizuka said as she stretched, " things will get reaally busy for me back in school."  
  
"Well, let's have as much fun as we can on the way back, ne?"  
  
"Are you sure about that? I think I'd make a pretty mundane driving companion," Shizuka teased and finished the last of her coffee,"I think we should go up soon."  
  
With that, she stood up and walked ahead.  
  
"You won't be," Sho said softly to no one in particular,"not to me, at least."

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
It wasn't long after Shizuka returned to her room when a slow knock came on her door. She frowned and went back for the door, only to see it was Sho again. But this time, he carried his bag of belongings and stood right where he was with an awkward look on his face.  
  
"Erm, we have a problem," Sho said meekly, "Ohno-kun and Nino-kun are… Well. They are together but uh..."  
  
Shizuka narrowed her eyes suspiciously and walked out of her room, heading right next door to the room that used to be shared by three men. She did not hesitate and rapped her fist firmly on the door.  
  
"Oi! It's me! Open up!" she called through two-and-a-half inches of acacia wood, and with a grunt and a loud sigh from the room the door swung open to reveal a topless Nino.  
  
"Shizuka-chan?! What are you doing here?"  
  
Shizuka blinked as she tried to maintain her composure and keep her face from flushing too much in embarrassment.  
  
"E-explain why Sho-kun here is kicked out of the room you three were supposed to be sharing."  
  
"Well, uh.." Nino stuttered as he looked beyond his shoulder, and Shizuka arched an eyebrow questioningly.  
  
"... hold it. Do I even WANT to know why he's kicked out?"  
  
"Well, uh.. ah! I was just about to take a shower," Nino said brightly, but Shizuka only maintained her level gaze right at him. She looked behind her shoulder at Sho.  
  
"It's a shower, he says," Shizuka quipped.  
  
"What?! In the shower?!" Sho exclaimed and his face flushed red instantly, and Nino's eyes widened in realisation.  
  
"No it really is-"  
  
"Oh-My-OKAY. Never mind. I don't want to know anything about what you two idiots are up to at this time of the night, good Lord," Shizuka sighed exasperatedly, 'but you owe us both one." She then pulled the room door closed and swivelled on her heel to face Sho.  
  
"Well. I guess it can't be helped. You'll have to sleep in my room while the pervy lovebirds stay here."  
  
"Is it really okay?" Sho asked anxiously,"there is only one bed, right?"  
  
".. what, you wanted to stay and watch?" Shizuka teased, at which Sho shook his head vigorously," in my room there is the long couch or the bed. You can pick any one of them and I'll go to the other. It's perfectly alright."  
  
She then opened the door and led Sho in. Sho looked around at the room and spotted the couch.  
  
"I can take the couch," Sho offered, and Shizuka shook her head in disapproval.  
  
"No, I can take the couch."  
  
"I insist on taking the couch."  
  
"I insist that you take the bed."  
  
"Your back will hurt. Just 12 hours ago you were a patient who suffered from exhaustion. I can't have you suffering from exhaustion again from lack of comfortable sleep."  
  
"But you are the one driving me tomorrow, and it's one heck of a long drive," Shizuka said, "I really, really would prefer it if you took the bed to rest your back."  
  
Sho sighed.  
  
"Besides," Shizuka said as she unzipped her suitcase," I have a sleeping bag. I will be okay wherever I sleep anyway."  
  
"But..."  
  
"If my back REALLY does hurt tomorrow, I can sleep in the comfy back seat of your car," Shizuka said, "there. No problem, right?"  
  
Shizuka proceeded to carry her sleeping bag over to the long couch and laid it out neatly. She then took one of the huge fluffy pillows and placed it on the couch.  
  
"... We can share the bed too," Sho said uncertainly, and Shizuka looked over at him in shock.  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"I-I meant to say," Sho hurriedly explained, "you can sleep in the sleeping bag on the bed and I will sleep right on the edge on the other side, so..er..."  
  
"Oh.." Shizuka said and toyed with the idea a bit before shaking her head.  
  
"I'm okay with the couch. And you'll need all the space you can get on that fluffy bed."  
  
"But.."  
  
"Besides," Shizuka said, "you can't exactly relax when you're nervous or worried about getting too close, right?"  
  
Sho was speechless as he watched her make herself comfortable on the couch.  
  
"So it's alright. It's just for tonight," she said and laid down inside her sleeping bag and tried to get used to sleeping on it. Just then she heard some footsteps on the floor and before long the sound of some furniture getting dragged. She opened her eyes to see Sho pushing the coffee table away.  
  
"Sho-kun, what are you up to now?"  
  
"At least let me push the other couch over so you don't roll on the floor," Sho said and she laughed.  
  
"Right, I forgot," she said as she got up and joined Sho beside him as they both shifted it over to make her 'bed'.  
  
"There, now my bed is set," she said and eagerly hopped in on the couch and snuggled under her sleeping bag. Just as her eyes fell shut, she felt like someone was close to her and her eyes flew open to see Sho just within arm's reach.  
  
"Erm.."  
  
"No worries," Sho said as he held up his jacket, "I'm just letting you use this as your second blanket."  
  
"Don't you need it?"  
  
"The blanket on the bed is good enough," he said as he laid his jacket over her and tucked her in snugly. Shizuka sighed in bliss as she felt the warmth from the jacket through her sleeping bag.  
  
"Well... thank you. Goodnight, I'll see you in the morning." With that, she snuggled herself further into the couch, letting the warmth of Sho's jacket envelop her.  
  
"Hmm.. smells nice," she thought as she started to drift off, her nose inhaling the comforting scent of the jacket's owner.  
  


  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
"Mmm," Nino hummed as he snuggled against his lover's bare body, "it's about time we sleep."  
  
"Can we not?" Ohno murmured against Nino's neck as he ran his lips on the smooth skin, each kiss feeling like a warm burn.  
  
"At this rate we'll both fall asleep in the car tomorrow," Nino said.  
  
"It's alright. There's nothing much else to do in the car anyway," Ohno said, "but more than that... how was life?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Like... how was it after I left? How was it like early on in our university for you?"  
  
Nino pondered as he buried his nose against Ohno's broad chest.  
  
"Normal, I suppose. Me, Shizuka and Sho got applied for lockers right next to each other and every now and then there would be people chatting with us."  
  
"And of course, you never liked the attention?" Ohno said knowingly.  
  
"Well, it was peaceful back when Shizuka and I went to the same high school and we applied for neighbouring lockers," Nino said, "I'd still get a locker full of chocolates on Valentine's Day though."  
  
"Ah... still as popular as ever, huh," Ohno said with a pout, and Nino grinned.  
  
"You idiot," Nino whispered, "there's only you. I ignored every Valentine's Day letter I got."  
  
"Oh... really?"  
  
"Hahaha! Look at you- you look too happy," Nino teased as he poked at Ohno's puffed-out cheeks and nuzzled his nose into his neck. He cuddled closer and winced momentarily before breaking out into a soft giggle.

"Oh-chan, your legs are so cold..."

"Ah, sorry.." Ohno said and was shifting his legs away when Nino hooked their legs together under the blanket.

"It's okay," he whispered sleepily, "this will warm us both up."

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

/// /// ///  
 _Shizuka carried a bag of books out of her favourite bookshop and strolled home, her heart feeling warm with satisfaction. She sighed blissfully as she looked down at her hand-picked titles in the bag and skipped her way along the pavement when a familiar face caught her eye.  
  
She stopped in her steps and looked at the man across the street from her.  
  
She could never mistake that face.. but she wished she was mistaken about that girl who was hanging around with him. Her body grew weak as her heart cringed and the books spilled out of her bag.  
  
She could only flop helplessly on the ground and look quietly at him and his companion while everyone else passed by her as if she never existed.  
  
Their differences were too great. She knew it better than anyone else.  
  
They could never be together, no matter how much she knew she loved him._  
  
/// /// ///  
  
Sho stretched in his bed and gave a soft yawn. He was well-rested and ready for the long day of driving bask to their campus. He looked over at the couch where Shizuka slept and shifted over to where she was.  
  
There she lay in her sleep, her hair tousled messily on the couch, and her face twisted in a mix of pain and anguish. Sho's eyebrows knitted together in a concerned frown when he saw tears rolling down from her shut eyes.  
  
"Different...too...different..hurts.." she murmured brokenly in her sleep.  
  
  
Sho said nothing but bravely reached out a hand to stroke her head gently. The gentle motion seemed to soothe her for a bit because her face soon relaxed with a peaceful look. Soon enough, her eyes fluttered open and her brown eyes stared up at Sho, who was looking down at her.  
  
"...Eh? EHHH?!" Shizuka exclaimed in shock, "I thought you were.. I just saw you-"  
  
"Huh?!" Sho looked at her, completely confused, "what about me? What was I doing? What did you see?"  
  
"..Huh, uh..oh. OH... " Shizuka's eyes remained wide open in surprise, and they soon softened into her normal look when she realised it had all been a dream, "no, it's nothing.. Sorry. I must have been very confused. Good morning. "  
  
"I guess that happens. Good morning," Sho said with a smirk, "but I'll never forget you sleeptalking though." Shizuka froze and looked as if he just told her that her favourite ribeye steak was out of stock.  
  
".. I DID?!"  
  
"Yeah, a little. .. Ahh.. and your hair's all messy..."  
  
"IT IS?! Oh my goodness I-"  
  
"Yeah and your-"  
  
"OKAY! STOP! I get the picture!" Shizuka said hurriedly and dashed off to the bathroom to hide her embarrassment, and Sho reeled in laughter back on the bed.  
  
"NO LAUGHING!" she yelled from the bathroom, and Sho only continued wheezing in laughter.  
  
Alone, Shizuka sighed as she looked in the mirror at herself.  
  
Average face. Long, un-styled hair. Nerdy glasses. She frowned and shook her head, ridding her mind of her brief moment of inadequacy. No, she was NOT about to compare herself with someone she didn't even know existed. By her own standards, she thought herself pretty and smoking-hot with makeup. 99.9% of the whole world might disagree but she was not about to care or give them the time of the day.  
  
"Just a dream, just a dream.." she murmured as if it were a spell, "it was just a dream."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Ohno propped his head on his elbow as he watched Nino sleep. For the past seven years, he had missed him so much. He had missed his snarky remarks, his playful smile, his cute laugh... everything about him and their memories together kept him alive for those times when he felt so alone.  
  
He would not deny that the misunderstanding in the beginning had indeed disappointed him. But for some strange reason that very misunderstanding was what brought them back together. Had they not had that misunderstanding, he wouldn't know how much Nino had been thinking of him, and vice versa. And to have him in his arms the night before and the morning after was, in his heart, a blissful feeling that words would fail to describe. He presently reached over a finger to stroke Nino's cheek and watched the sunlight beam on his pale skin, making him glow in the morning light.

He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss on Nino's lips.

A second later, he felt him molding gently against his own lips.

"You're awake?" Ohno whispered, and Nino nodded.

"I don't wanna leave..." Nino said and stretched in bed before re-wrapping his arms around Ohno.

"Well, I guess we can sleep a li-"  
  
Just then, the phone by the side table rang. Ohno reached over and picked up the phone.

"Hoi~ This is your wake-up call to ensure we don't leave you behind later!" Jun said through the phone, and Aiba poked him in the side.

"No, we won't leave without them!" he said before speaking into the phone, "but now would be a good time to wake up and pack up, alright?"

Ohno laughed from the phone line. "I got it."

"Who is it? And is Sho-kun awake?" Nino asked, and Jun and Aiba froze in shock as they hung up.

"... Sho-kun wasn't with them?" Aiba said.

".. so... they were alone last night?!" Jun asked incredulously.

The group checked out and when standing at their cars they noticed a happy change- Nino who had been avoiding Ohno since the start of the trip was now standing awkwardly right beside him. Sho and Shizuka grinned knowingly at the pair while Jun and Aiba simply looked rather confused.  
  
"Nino-kun and.. Ohno-kun?" Aiba asked uncertainly.  
"Did they actually..? Jun added with a pleasantly surprised grin and Nino's cheeks flushed red.  
  
"D-don't ask that so early in the morning!" Nino barked.  
  
"...Actually I was asking if you two got together," Jun said evenly, "but it seemed you were thinking of something else inappropriate for the morning."  
  
"Oh my God..." Sho murmured as he face-palmed, "you guys really did it..."  
  
"In the shower, too?" Shizuka asked with a look of mock-disgust, "you two really went at it, huh.."  
  
"N-n-NO! ... Urgh, Oh-chan, let's go!" Nino grumbled with a blushing face as he went into Jun's car.  
  
"Alright, alright, don't tease the poor couple," Jun said, "they'll ride with me. You two will be okay on your own, right?"  
  
Sho nodded. "I'll drive her back. We'll stop over at that break-point again, right?"  
  
"Yep. Well.. I'll see you two then!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
****Sho's car****  
  
"If your back hurts anytime, tell me," Sho said soon after they drove out, "I'll pull over and recline the seat for you so you can lie down."  
  
"My back is fine," she said with a smile, "I slept pretty well last night."  
  
"I can tell," Sho said with a cheeky grin as he looked ahead.  
  
"Well, shall I play something on my phone?"  
  
"Connect it to my car. You should be able to play it."  
  
"Noted," Shizuka said as she fiddled around on her phone and before long, a slightly somber music piece started playing.  
  
"What is that?" Sho asked, amused.  
  
"The soundtrack to one of my favourite films," she said brightly,"I actually listen to this when I study."  
  
"It does sound like the type that would fit."  
  
"Well, it's about Alan Turing and how he worked with a group of people to decode the Enigma machine," Shizuka said.  
  
"You like soundtracks, huh?"  
  
Shizuka nodded. "Since I was a kid, I always remember shows and movies by the way their soundtracks are like. Those that stick in my memory are those that were used perfectly in their moments in film. James Horner and Charlie Clouser are some of my favourite soundtrack composers."  
  
"You sure know a lot," Sho commented, "then again if you are a music student dealing with musical arrangements and conducting, you would."  
  
Shizuka shrugged, her face beaming with pride.  
  
"I liked James Horner's soundtrack for the Titanic film. I wish I had the CD though. I think I lost it somewhere."  
  
"Well..What did Charlie Clouser compose?"  
  
Shizuka grinned and leaned towards him, levelling a scary, toothy grin.  
  
"He composed the soundtracks for the 'Saw' franchise and 'Dead Silence'. I can show you the particular parts of those two movies that I like the most.."  
  
"NO THANK YOU!"  
  
"Hah. Payback for teasing me this morning."  
  
Sho sighed as he looked at the car ahead of him.  
  
"I wonder what they are doing in there," he said.  
  
"Well, we're talking about two couples in the car," Shizuka said, "they must be having a fluffy time."  
  
  
 ***** Jun's car *****  
  
"Whaaat..." Nino whined as he looked at the stack of papers Jun had placed in his lap, "am I supposed to look through all of these?"  
  
"Yes," Jun said crisply, "that is going to be the entire script on the musical. Shizuka already gave her thoughts and ideas in the notes at the back and I agree with them. Pitch in some and come up with the music pieces for the different scenes."  
  
"... I hope you're not telling me to do all of that on the car ride back home," Nino grumbled.  
  
"Well I only asked you to look at the script and give some ideas now, but if you want to work on music as well, you can," Jun said with a megawatt smile in the rearview mirror that made Nino cringe.  
  
".. I get it. I'll look through the script.." Nino said with a pout and lounged on the backseat, his head laying gently on Ohno's shoulder. Ohno chuckled and gave Nino a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.  
  
"He is a hard taskmaster. But there's no doubt your project will be in good hands, ne," Ohno said gently.  
  
"Is he tough as your roommate too?"  
  
Ohno looked cautiously at Jun and whispered.  
  
"I got schooled by him into keeping my paints off the furniture."  
  
"I heard that," Jun said, "you've really become a bit more careful these days with the paint though."  
  
Nino sighed, shaking his head and flipped through the script.  
  
Just then, a phone call came in for Jun.  
  
"Hello?.. Yes. Yes..HUH?! WHAT?! How is that even possible?!..well. I guess I'll need to find a replacement then. Thank you. Bye."  
  
"Is everything alright?" Aiba asked worriedly.  
  
"They say that one of the dancers for our musical was involved in an accident. So we are one person short," Jun said, his fingers tightening on the wheel in frustration, "but I can't ask the other dancers because they have their own projects and competitions."  
  
"Will we need to change anything?" Nino asked, and Jun bit his lip as he pondered for a solution. Just then, his eyes flickered over to Ohno.  
  
"Ohno-kun, could you do me the favour of replacing him?"  
  
Aiba and Nino looked at him in surprise.  
  
"Ohno-kun?!" they said in unison.  
  
  
"What, you two don't know?" Jun said matter-of-factly, "he's in the dance club."  
  
"Come to think of it, I never knew what extra curricular activity you were in," Aiba said, "but wow, you can dance?! That's so cool!"  
  
"It's really nothing much," Ohno said bashfully, "I just like it a lot."  
  
"So, you'll do it?" Jun asked, and Ohno nodded.  
  
 ***break point***  
  
Shizuka took two cups of warm black coffee from the machine at the conveniece store and strolled over to Sho's car where he stood and waited.  
  
"Thanks for waiting!" she chirped and looked down at the cups, slightly puzzled, ".. which is mine again?"  
  
"Are they different?"  
  
"Yours has sugar in it. Mine doesn't," Shizuka said and handed over one of the cups to Sho, "I THINK it's this one."  
  
Sho looked at it and took a cautious sip. He winced at the bitter flavour that ran chills down his spine. Shizuka gave an apologetic laugh.  
  
"Ahaha. I guess it's this one then," she said, handing over the other cup and taking her bitter coffee. She sipped it carefully and closed her eyes as she felt the warmth spread through her body.  
  
"Why drink it so bitter?" Sho asked, "the last one I gave you a few days ago was sweet and you were okay with it."  
  
Shizuka looked down at the coffee cup, her face falling a bit.  
  
"I just wanted to clear my head a little," she said, "bitter coffee does that for me."  
  
"You seem to have a lot on your plate," Sho said, "hang in there, alright?"  
  
Shizuka smiled and gulped down the last of her coffee.  
  
"Everyone has a lot on their plates," she said, "but I'm not sure I have as much time to finish my own."  
  
Sho narrowed his eyes curiously. Something about what she said struck that something was off.  
  
"Well, I'll be off to the washroom. I'll see you back at the car," she said and hurried off. Sho pursed his lips and walked back to the car, his coffee slightly chilled. He finished the rest of the coffee and slid back into his car. His eyes wandered to Shizuka's seat to see some pieces of paper had fallen out of the file on her seat, and took off his seatbelt and walked over to the other side where Shizuka's seat was and picked them up.  
  
And those words printed on the top of the papers stopped his heart for a moment.  
  
" **Overseas Training Course Details** "


	10. Chapter 10

******_*Late November*_**  
  
Shizuka blinked at Sho standing right in front of her, a camera in hand.  
  
"Er..Sho-kun? I recall the sign outside this hall saying 'No Unauthorised Personnel'."  
  
"But I'm not unauthorised personnel."  
  
"Yes, you are. Paparazzi are not allowed."  
  
"Oi! I'm no paparazzi. Jun-kun has approved me to come watch the rehearsals."  
  
"Really? Well, come along then. Jun-kun~" Shizuka called as she led the way, and Sho watched her move away.  
  
A few weeks had passed since they returned to school and since the day he found out about Shizuka going overseas. He had weighed his options carefully every night, wondering if it was alright to ask her about it.  
  
Then he realised that she had not told anyone about it yet. Some part of him felt that he was not supposed to know about it either.  
That was why he never asked a thing, and only quietly watched her at work.  
  
"Ah right! Sho-kun," Jun said, "our photographer."  
  
Shizuka looked at him in surprise. "We need a photographer?"  
  
"Well, how else are we going to print out the pamphlets for promotion?"  
  
"Ah..we're doing that?"  
  
"Of course!" Jun said animatedly, "we need to get everyone talking about it, Shizuka-chan. How else are we getting our grades?"  
  
"Ah...the road to a stellar project grade is hard.." Shizuka grumbled as she looked at the scores in her hands.  
  
Jun looked over at the score and referred to the script in his hand.  
  
"Right, er, this is the last past of the entire production. Our dear heroine has died and the hero laments on her death but fondly remembers their memories together. The final part of him awaiting the day he joins her is crucial to set the ending on a lighter tone."  
  
He then looked over at Shizuka.  
  
"You can do that, right?"  
  
Shizuka nodded and wrote down some notes on her score before giving it a critical look. She then hurried over to where the orchestra was practising their sectionals and gathered them together.  
  
"Strings, I might need you to be as lyrical as you were in the sad climax, but it needs to be softer. and much gentler. Tubas, good work on the bass notes- keep them strong here in this scene and fade out with the..."  
  
"Ahh.. everyone is as passionate as always," Sho said with a grin.  
  
"Well, shall we work on this part then?" Jun said as he walked over to his chair,"Nino-ku- Oi! Stop talking to your boyfriend and get here!"  
  
Sho looked to see Nino and Ohno chilling by the side of the stage, sitting on the steps beside each other.  
  
"Oh right," Jun snapped his fingers as something came to him and he looked over at Sho, "for Ohno-kun's birthday dinner at our dorm room later, could you collect the cake?"  
  
"Okay," Sho said as he adjusted his camera settings.  
  
Before long, the small orchestra was assembled and Shizuka took her place before them. Giving a polite bow to her audience (Sho, Jun and Nino), she turned to face the orchestra. Her eyes watched the hero kneel on the floor and the heroine lie down on his lap.  
  
"And...action!" Jun's sharp voice called. At the cue, she cast a focused look at the orchestra before her. And with a delicate flick of her baton, a slow, lyrical melody echoes in the hall.  
  
"Oh Marlene my love," the actor cried, "how I will dearly miss you. The warmth in your body , the spirit in your eyes.. to think that you will no longer look at me with those eyes again.."  
  
Tears welled up in Shizuka's eyes as the sorrow in the music piece filled her heart. The orchestra seemed to detect the mood and the mood became more somber and sad. She then looked up at the actor as he began to speak of the days they had spent together.  
  
Sensing the end was nearing, she gave a soft smlie at the orchestra as the mood slowly transitions to a slightly more hopeful tone.  
  
"So rest, and rest peacefully, my beloved, " the actor said as he laid her down on the floor, "for one day, I will join you once more, and this time nothing will bring us apart again."  
  
Shizuka softly flicked her baton as she calmed the orchestra, bringing her hands down as the music slowly fades out into silence.  
  
Behind her, her small audience applauded.  
  
"That final scene is perfect!" Sho praised and Shizuka beamed with pride, even though she knew that his compliment went out to everyone there apart from her.  
  
"Alright, so long as we keep this quality for this entire production, we'd be there," Jun said appraisingly as he walked over, "this scene is the main focus of the entire musical, so we'll build everything up to this level from the beginning."  
  
Everyone on the stage nodded.  
  
"Let's do our best for the rest of the musical too, ne?"  
  
The actors nodded enthusiastically.  
  
"Well then, we're done for today," Jun said with a megawatt smile, "Mari-chan, could you come see me for a while?"  
  
The heroine seemed to tense up as she walked slowly down the stage to a smiling Jun.  
  
"Your performance today is really good. I can expect a lot more for the rehearsals and drills after this one, ne?"  
  
"Y-yes!"  
  
"Great! See you then~" Jun said cheerily as he walked off, leaving Mari and Shizuka in cold sweat.  
  
"I've somehow learnt," Shizuka murmured under her breath, "that when Jun-kun smiles like that it often spells catastrophe."  
  
"I can't agree more," Nino mumbled beside her, "he's one passionate director. Do you know how many times I changed the arrangements to make them better?"  
  
"Well, to be fair, the current scores are the best out of the others," she said,"so at least we've done good work."  
  
"I hate it when you're right about things," Nino joked.  
  
"And I hate being wrong," she said with a grin, "well. Time to go then."  
  
  
"Ne, who is that good-looking photographer who was taking photos of us just now?"  
"Must be someone from the photography department, ne~"  
"He looks so cool with the camera. Ahhh.. I think he looked at me just now~"  
  
Shizuka raised an eyebrow as a group of dancers walked by her.  
  
"As always, Sho-kun is popular, ne," Shizuka remarked.  
  
"Oh yes, he is. Then again, you know how many chocolates we both got last Feb."  
  
"Yes yes. The chocolates practically tumbled out of both your lockers," she recalled with an amused laugh.  
  
"Which reminds me," Nino said, "I never really saw any of such stuff in your locker. Do you not give chocolates at all?"  
  
"Maa... I only gave obligatory chocolates to you, Sho-kun and my teachers," she said, "not that I really hang out with other guys apart from you two."  
  
"Right, you've never liked other humans."  
  
"Neither do you, idiot."  
  
"Your circle of humans has widened this year though," Nino commented, "suddenly there's Jun-kun and Aiba-kun. And the whole lot of orchestra members."  
  
Shizuka smiled sadly without a word. "Yeah.. it sure has, huh..."  
  
"Ah right. I need to get Oh-chan to distract him and bring him back to his dorm room. I'll meet you later!" Nino said and waved as he left to get his boyfriend.  
  
Shizuka only watched him leave and stared up quietly at the orange sky.  
  
A short distance away from the hall, Sho looked at his photography notes at the cake shop as he waited for the cashier to bring out their order. His eyes wandered to the word in bold on his assignment instructions.  
  
" 'Hope'.. huh. But nothing much seems hopeful about the tragic romance musical," Sho murmured. He took out his camera and looked through the photos, watching the facial expressions of the actors. And then his eyes caught a photo of Shizuka. He had taken it when she conducted the last part of the final scene.  
  
"Hmm..." Sho thought, and looked up just in time to see the cashier carry out a small chocolate cake.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
"Hurry up, hurry up!" Nino urged hastily as he dashed ahead of Ohno, who ran behind him.  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"To see your birthday present from me!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
Nino took towards a small hill right beside the music campus, and Ohno sighed.  
  
"We're climbing?"  
  
"Yes, now come on! Let's go!" Nino said as he hurriedly dragged Ohno's hand as they both scampered up a flight of stone stairs towards the top.  
  
And as they stepped onto the peak of the hill, Ohno's eyes caught the rays of a brilliant sunset, its orange light sweeping across the town below.  
  
"... where have I seen this before?" Ohno murmured, and Nino grinned.  
  
"I knew you'd remember it," Nino said as he drew close to him, locking their arms and hands together,"back then, you showed me the sunrise. So now.. I'll show you the sunset."  
  
Ohno smiled quietly as he felt tears well up in his eyes at the beautiful memory they shared years ago.  
  
"It's beautiful," Ohno said in awe.  
  
"Keep looking," Nino whispered and leaned over, placing a soft kiss on the side of Ohno's cheek. Ohno looked at him in surprise, and Nino laughed.  
  
"Tsk. Even when I told you to keep looking," Nino said.  
  
"I can't possibly look anywhere else when you do that," Ohno said with a pout.  
  
"Then look at me," Nino said as he wrapped his arms around Ohno and brought their foreheads together, "look only at me ne, Oh-chan?"  
  
Ohno could feel his cheeks grow even warmer (not from the sun rays this time) as he nodded and wrapped his arms around the other man.  
  
"I love you," Nino said gently into Ohno's ear, and Ohno shivered pleasantly as his warm breath tickled his ears and neck. He then pulled away and softly brought their lips together in a gentle kiss as they relished the warmth from the soft rays of the setting sun.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
They soon left the hill for Ohno's dorm room.  
  
"Too bad you have a roommate," Nino teased, "I'd have stayed over."  
  
Ohno laughed. "What a pity indeed. But he won't say no to some birthday beer."  
  
"Well, I'm all for it if you have some," Nino said and Ohno opened the door.  
  
In the next instant, the pitch black apartment flashed brightly and loud party poppers sounded out by the doorway.  
  
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"  
  
Ohno looked up to see Jun and Aiba clapping in the doorway with poppers in their hands. Inside, he could see Sho snapping away with the camera and Shizuka standing behind the table with a chocolate cake and a sumptuous spread. Ohno looked at Nino, who cheekily grinned back at him.  
  
"I was to distract you on a date before bringing you here for a surprise party," Nino explained.  
  
"Could you guys come in quick?!" Shizuka hollered from inside, "I think the chocolate ice cream cake is melting!"  
  
"Ah, okay. Now then, hurry in!" Jun urged, dragging Ohno and Nino in and hurrying him towards the cake.  
  
"Should we still light the candles? I'm afraid the cake will melt," Shizuka said.  
  
"... Ah! Erm, just leave it," Aiba said, "Ohno-kun, pretend it's lit and air-blow it."  
  
"What?!" Ohno asked laughingly.  
  
"Just do it," Sho said as he readied his camera with a wry grin.  
  
Needless to say, Sho got a good number of shots of Ohno pretending to blow out the candles... and a good cake fight that broke out between the other four men.  
  
When they were all finally settled down for dinner, Shizuka took a deep breath.  
  
"Everyone," she said quietly, "it's been confirmed."  
  
Four out of five men looked at her in shock. Sho, on the other hand, looked down at his dinner.  
  
".. I'll be overseas for three years in the Czech Republic," she said evenly, "starting next year."  
  
Silence fell in the room, as everyone took in this piece of news.  
  
"... What for?" Jun asked.  
  
At that, Shizuka flashed a smile at him.  
  
"As a matter of fact, some months ago I had applied for our school's overseas transfer programme to be trained as a professional orchestral conductor," she explained with a soft glow of pride, "and I've recently been accepted for the programme."  
  
"Whoa! That's amazing!" Aiba said, "so, when you come back three years later, you would still be.."  
  
"No, I won't need to be studying here. I'd have qualified for graduation already," she said, "I'll still take my other modules and the exams over there."  
  
"Wow, it sounds like a tough three years overseas. You'd be juggling your exchange programme and your studies here.." Jun remarked.  
  
"Yeah, but I'm a step closer to my dream as an orchestral conductor," she said, "I'll get used to it soon enough."  
  
"...is that why you have been working so hard before that trip?" Sho asked quietly, and Shizuka looked at him beside her and nodded.  
  
"I wanted to get as much work done as I can," she answered, "though.. er.. that didn't end well, did it?"  
  
"Well," Ohno said as he looked over with a smile, "congratulations, Shizuka-chan. Personally, I'm really proud of you."  
  
Shizuka smiled gratefully at him in response.  
  
"Well," Jun said, "a toast to Shizuka-chan's success in three years. KANPAI!"  
  
Six beer cans clanked in unison as the party resumed.  
  
  
Shizuka withdrew away from the crowd onto the balcony as she took a deep breath of fresh air.  
  
"... I knew."  
  
Shizuka turned around in surprise. "Sho-kun? You did?"  
  
Sho nodded. "I didn't know if I should tell anyone that you were, but when you didn't, I decided not to."  
  
"Oh.." Shizuka nodded as she looked away and out into the dark night.  
  
"Thank you," she said, "for not telling."  
  
"Three years is a long time though," Sho said, the weight of his words hanging in the air.  
  
"That's why I'm trying to finish everything the best way I can."  
  
"Well, cheers to..well, one month of work ahead," Sho said, holding out his beer can to her. She grinned and knocked her can against his.  
  
"Let's.... let's all hang out a bit more in the next one month," she said as she looked up at him with a wistful smile, "it'll have to be group calling by Skype after that."  
  
Sho nodded as he walked over to stand beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.  
  
"Well, we'll all miss you for three years and we'll be impatient for your return," he said, "as will I."  
  
Shizuka blinked back her warm tears and smiled. "I imagine you will," she said, "I doubt you'll hear two words of intellect or sense put together when I'm gone."  
  
"All that intellect and you're still bad at chess," Sho teased.  
  
"Hey. Three years is plenty of time to improve myself, you know, Sho-kun."  
  
"Hah. Chess, conducting and your actual studies. You will be really busy and work yourself to exhaustion. Again."  
  
"Hmph! I won't!" Shizuka huffed haughtily and looked away, her lips curling into a sad smile.  
  
"I will miss this," she thought quietly to herself as she felt the warmth of Sho's hand on her shoulder.  
  
When the party finally broke up with everyone making their way back towards their rooms, Shizuka sighed as she looked at Nino who stood unstably beside her.  
  
"You drank too much, you dolt," Shizuka chided as she supported him back on the road.  
  
"Ahaha, probably," Nino said slowly, "but you know...three years.."  
  
"Yes yes, it's a long time and you'll all miss me as much as I'll miss you guys, I know. Now let's get you back," she said as she dragged him along.  
  
"It's not just all of us, you know," Nino said, "Sho-kun too."  
  
The mention of his name stopped her heart for a moment. She bit her lip gently and urged Nino forward.  
  
"No one could possibly know that except him, you know," she said.  
  
"But I doooo," he slurred, "I know what it's like, you know...."  
  
"... What what's like?"  
  
"What...what it's like to watch someone you REAAAALLY love leave you," Nino said. Shizuka blinked slowly and took a deep breath.  
  
"You are very mistaken," she said, "he can't possibly see me, of all people, that way."  
  
"But it IS true!" Nino protested drunkenly. Shizuka sighed.  
  
"Look, Nino. You're drunk. You're not making sense."  
  
"Why are you soooooo stubborn?" Nino asked, and Shizuka sighed.  
  
"Okay, dude. I'm this close to leaving you on the bench over there, now move along," she said, "besides.. we are too different."  
  
"But you are both stubborn, smart alecks!" Nino said.  
  
"Yeah okay but he's a 'stubborn, smart aleck' that everyone likes," Shizuka said as she looked down dejectedly on the ground, "... I'm not, you know... If he's the light in any room, I'm in the shadows. No one will see me, but everyone will see him. And I'm okay with that."  
  
"..you won't regret leaving without telling him how you feel?" Nino asked, and Shizuka wondered for a moment if he was actually sober.  
  
"... If I do," she said slowly and thoughtfully, "it will be a decision I made for his sake and my own. In many ways, he will be better off without me, and so even at my own expense, I will have nothing to regret for it."  
  
She then looked over at Nino.  
  
"In a sense, you are lucky you know," she said with a smile, "someone loves you. You know it, and you can believe in it. I envy you."  
  
"Do you really...like him?"  
  
Shizuk paused in her steps. She knew the answer in her heart, but she could feel the effects of acknowledging that answer like she would a bad omen.  
  
"Whether I do or not," she said shakily, "I will be leaving for three years. The answer will not change the situation for the better or worse."  
  
She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the familiar shape of the building Sho and Nino were living in. The drunk (or not) questions from Nino were too personal for comfort. In the distance, she could see Sho hurrying over.  
  
"I have sent Aiba-kun to his dorm. Thanks for taking Nino."  
  
"No problem. See you around. Goodnight," Shizuka said hurriedly and ran off, tears streaming down her face.  
  
"I can't tell him," she murmured in between tears, "I can't ever tell him..."  
  
Sho watched Shizuka run off and looked down at a sleeping Nino.  
  
"...what happened?" Sho asked aloud, but no one could answer him.


	11. Chapter 11

***Early December: The Visual Arts Festival***  
  
"It's a pity Shizuka-chan and Ohno-kun can't join us today," Jun said as walked around with Nino, Sho and Aiba. Around them, stalls selling small trinkets and food were set up, and looked a lot like a carnival except that art and photo exhibitions were held alongside a day of performances in the hall.  
  
"Shouldn't you be there at their performance too?!" Sho asked incredulously, "it's your production!"  
  
"Only for the last show," Jun said, " well, let's see Ohno-kun's painting first."  
  
"I don't even know which one is Oh-chan's, you know!" Nino protested.  
  
"Maa, the topic is 'Warmth From The Heart'," Aiba said, "it could be about you."  
  
"He did complain in the beginning that the theme was incredibly vague," Jun said, "it could mean anything from just a good deed along the street to a heartfelt gift to a relative or something with your lover."  
  
"I'm actually looking forward to see what everyone comes up with," Sho said as he looked at the brochure.  
  
In the painting exhibit, a soft spotlight glowed above each of the paintings, and the four men marvelled at the paintings- a small hand of an infant held in the hand of an elderly lady, a hand-knit sweater with the words "Mom" embroidered on it...  
  
Nino stopped in his steps as his eyes caught sight of a familiar scene.  
  
"No way..." he thought as he neared the painting.  
  
" 'From Then Till Now', Ohno Satoshi," read the small card under the painting, which showed a person painted in blue looking at the sunrise. He had a hand reaching out to the person painted in yellow beside him, who happened to be looking at the sunset. The two sceneries seemed to blend naturally in one painting in spite of contrasting colours in accordance to the time of the day, like they were looking at the same scenery at the same time. Nino stood in front of the painting, captivated in the beautiful colours and absorbed in their memories together.  
  
"Wow..." Sho murmured from beside Nino, "even the title seems so befitting."  
  
"It must be the warmth of the sunrise and sunset with Nino he's talking about here," Aiba said in quiet awe.  
  
"I think your boyfriend might be getting too cheesy," Jun teased from behind Nino, who jabbed playfully at his ribs.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
"I can't believe we're going to be looking at my photo entry too," Sho whined in embarrassment as he found himself dragged by an excited Aiba to the photo exhibition, "I really didn't think mine would be selected here.."  
  
"But it is and we must look at it," Nino said, "I need to know what my roommate considers as 'hope'."  
  
"But I reall-"  
  
"No buts," Jun cut in, "we're seeing it."  
  
"But, uh-"  
  
Just as the four men entered the exhibition, they caught sight of a familiar face on the wall.  
  
".. Isn't that...wait, what?!" Nino asked in complete surprise.  
  
Sho buried his reddening face in his palms as he nodded.  
  
While Nino's jaw dropped in surprise, Jun stepped up to the photo in awe.  
  
"Whoa..this looks so...perfect," Jun murmured, "thanks, Sho-kun! I just KNOW our projects are going to get awesome grades!"  
  
"... Because of the not-so-subtle publicity here?" Aiba asked with a chuckle, "but it does  
bring out that element of hope, doesn't it?"  
  
"I hope it does," Sho said, his cheeks still hot, and he felt a soft tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Nino gesture him to a quiet corner. Curious, he followed.  
  
"... Just checking," Nino asked, "the music isn't the reason you chose this picture, right?"  
  
"What, it is!" Sho said, "it's from the last scene of the rehearsals after all."  
  
"...Well, if you say so, but..." Nino said quietly, "I sometimes wonder if there's more to it."  
  
"No, there isn't," Sho said with a smile as he walked off to rejoin Jun and Aiba.  
  
"Liar," Nino murmured with a sigh as he followed him back.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
A long day came to a close as the last performance for Jun's musical ended. Shizuka looked up at the audience and took a huge bow with the rest of her orchestra. And on cue, Jun appeared on stage with the rest of the actors, singers and dancers.  
  
"Thank you all for coming today," Jun began, "we would like to thank.."  
  
Shizuka quietly gestured the orchestra to leave in an orderly manner and followed after..only to be dragged away into a dark corner.  
  
"Shh! Get here!" Nino hissed as he dragged Shizuka away.  
  
"Nino?! What are you-"  
  
"Just follow me!"  
  
"Wha-okay okay I can walk, geez!" Shizuka huffed as she shook her hand free and followed Nino, only to realise she was led to the photo exhibition. She was about to ask what Nino was doing when she stopped short and met the eyes of.. her own reflection.  
  
There, mounted on the wall, was a photo of Shizuka as she conducted the music for the last scene during one of their rehearsals. A soft smile was on her face and her hands perfectly captured in frame as she led the orchestra music to a close.  
  
"But.. why am I..?"  
  
"Nino? Why are we back he-Shizuka-chan?!"  
  
Shizuka turned to see an equally shocked Sho in the doorway.  
  
The pair looked over at Nino questioningly.  
  
"I'll leave you two to talk," Nino said and hurriedly slipped out of the exhibition, leaving them alone.  
  
"... Well," Shizuka began shyly as her face became redder, "wh-why am I.."  
  
"Well, the theme was 'hope'," Sho answered, and Shizuka's face lit up as if she understood.  
  
"... it's because of the music in that last scene, right?" Shizuka asked excitedly, "what, of course! That's why I'm up there!"  
  
Sho nodded with a smile.  
  
"I'm sorry though," he said, "I should have asked for your permission."  
  
"No no not at all," she answered hurriedly, "I'm.. pleasantly surprised and really honoured. Thank you."  
  
The pair smiled as they looked back up at the photo, the warm spotlight lighting up their hearts.  
  
Just then, Sho's phone beeped. He unlocked it and found that it was an email from the school.  
  
"Oh right, I need to check for my written exam timings in January," Sho said.  
  
"Ahaha, a burden I will no longer bear," Shizuka joked as she sidled up beside him, "so when is it?"  
  
Sho shrugged.  
  
"Let's go. The Festival is over and we can go back. I ought to check my timings too."  
  
Shizuka nodded and let Sho walk her back to her dorm.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  
"Ahh.. my exams are on the 4th of January," Nino said as he looked over at Ohno from his laptop, "when are yours?"  
  
"The same," Ohno said, "I think..Shizuka-chan leaves on the 3rd, right? Doesn't that mean we can send her off?"  
  
"Yeah! Well, we have to study right after that, but I guess that's okay," Nino said as they cuddled together at Ohno's dorm room. Just then, a sweaty Jun burst in through the door.  
  
"Ah, good work today, Jun-kun! Did you receive the-"  
  
"When is Shizuka-chan leaving?" Jun asked.  
  
"... 3rd Jan? 10am?"  
  
Jun looked back down at his phone.  
  
"Ah..well I guess I can send her off," he said, "my exam is in the afternoon."  
  
"That's not too bad," Nino said, "Aiba-kun?"  
  
"His is in the afternoon too," Jun informed.  
  
"You two will sneak off on a date after the paper, won't you?" Nino teased.  
  
"As you two will after yours!" Jun said with a grin.  
  
"Well, that settles it then. We'll all go see her off on that day," Ohno said. Nino looked down at his phone as it went off, and frowned.  
  
"All of us except Sho-kun," Nino said. Jun and Ohno looked over at Nino's phone.  
  
"Mine's on 3rd January, 8am to 10am."  
  
"By the time he finishes, Shizuka would have flown off," Ohno said.  
  
"They can leave early, but no earlier than 9am," Nino added with a troubled look, "by then, she would have entered the departure gates."  
  
"... you don't think he would skip the written theory exams, right?" Ohno said.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
"I'm sorry," Sho said into the phone, "it seems I won't be able to send you off."  
  
"Don't be silly," Shizuka said into hers with a sad smile, her voice completely masking her complicated emotions, "I'd smack you senseless with my hand-carry luggage if you so dared to skip your written exam to send me off. It's 60% of your marks gone."  
  
"Right, you wouldn't forgive me if I did," Sho said with a soft chuckle, "I won't, then."  
  
"Good to hear that. I'll see you tomorrow," Shizuka said as she looked at balls of discarded papers littered around her, "..goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight," Sho said as he hung up, his heart feeling much emptier than before.  
  
  
 ****Christmas****  
  
  
Nino looked curiously at the six bulky but beautifully wrapped boxes behind Shizuka as she packed away the gifts she received.  
  
"... Shizuka-chan, did you rob Santa for presents this year?"  
  
"What, no! I wouldn't do something so immoral!" Shizuka said, "if I may, shall I start?"  
  
The rest nodded.  
  
"As you all know, I will be gone for three years," Shizuka managed with her most formal tone, "so needless to say, I will miss Christmas for the next three years. That's why.. I brought three years' worth of Christmas presents!"  
  
"No way!" Jun exclaimed in disbelief.  
  
"Oh yes, I did. Pretty easy to pick out, really," Shizuka said as she reached for her boxes, "Jun-kun, Aiba-kun, these are yours."  
  
The pair lifted the lids of their boxes and blinked.  
  
"Scarves and T-shirts?" Jun said as he held them up," bu-whoa look! We match!"  
  
"Is this an amigurumi dog?!" Aiba asked in amazement.  
  
"I made that dog for your birthday this year," Shizuka said with a wink and looked over at Ohno and Nino.  
  
"These probably aren't matching, but I decided on these after seeing Ohno-kun's painting," she said as she handed over another two boxes.  
  
The pair lifted the box lids.  
  
"...Oh my goodness that is so adorable," Sho said with an amused chuckle as Ohno and Nino held up blue and yellow mugs with matching mug warmers and coasters.  
  
"Isn't this one present?" Nino asked wryly.  
  
"Sorry," Shizuka said primly,"it's three. You can count."  
  
"But they are all ONE se-"  
  
"NEXT," Shizuka said loudly as the other guys laughed, "Sho-kun, here is yours. Careful, this is heavy."  
  
"Wooow," Nino teased, "I wonder what could be in there."  
  
Shizuka narrowed her eyes at him. "Let's see...books?"  
  
Nino looked disappointed. "Booring."  
  
Sho lifted the lid of his present to see there were indeed three books on photography in there, along with three different bookmarks.  
  
".. Did you make the bookmarks?" Sho asked, and Shizuka nodded with pride.  
  
"Yep. Have fun," she said, "well, thanks everyone for taking care of me for.. well.. the past one or few years. I'll be back in three years to chill with you guys again, ne?"  
  
"Oh right, you will be busy this whole week to settle your paperwork and stuff, right?" Jun asked.  
  
"Yes," Shizuka said with a wistful smile, "and since we're all celebrating New Years' back at home, this is really the last time I can meet up with everyone."  
  
A silence fell among the group.  
  
"Oh, come on! It's not like I'm gone FOREVER," Shizuka said hurriedly, " three years will fly by in a blink of an eye, believe me."  
  
"Th-that's right!" Nino said as he held up his beer can, "so let's have fun for the rest of tonight, ne?"  
  
"Cheers then!" Jun called and party resumed for the rest of the night until Shizuka left early.  
  
That night, Sho stayed up in his room, a pen in hand on a piece of paper. He ruffled his hair as he wrote, biting the tip of his pen every now and then in thought. When Nino woke up the next morning, he caught sight of Sho lying on the table with a neatly folded letter in his hand.


	12. Chapter 12

*3rd January*  
  
Shizuka dragged her luggage out of her room, only to come face to face with 5 men outside her room.  
"E-everyone?! And Sho-kun, isn't your written exam in fifteen minute's time?!"  
  
Sho only smiled and grabbed her luggage and headed over to Jun's car.  
  
"I have exams today but they are in the afternoon," Jun said,"so I can afford to give you a lift and send you off."  
  
"Me too," Aiba said excitedly, "so me and Jun-kun can send you off with Ohno-kun and Nino-kun!"  
  
Shizuka sniffled as she tried not to shed tears in front of them.  
  
"Well…thank you, guys. Really."  
  
"Now now," Nino said as he patted Shizuka on the back,"save the crying for later, you crybaby."  
  
Shizuka only smacked Nino on the shoulder before heading for the car where Sho stood waiting. She paused beside him, looking up into the sky that sprinkled soft snow around them.  
  
"This sucks," Sho began with a laugh, "I'm having exams while you're at the airport. "  
  
"I guess the only time you can send me off is now," Shizuka added with a wistful smile, "all the best for your paper today. Well, and your papers for the next three years."  
  
"You too," Sho answered awkwardly, "and er… happy birthday for the next three years."  
  
Shizuka laughed. "Shall I wish you a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for the next three years too?"  
  
"Oi, by the time you two are done with three years' worth of festivities, Shizuka would have missed her flight!"  
  
Shizuka giggled and gave Sho a quiet stare, which he returned.  
  
"Shizuka-chan," Sho said quietly, "actually, I ha-"  
  
"SHIZUKA-CHAN~"  
  
Shizuka turned to see that her soprano section in the school choir and her choral conductor were standing a short distance away. She blinked away tears as she hurried over towards them, giving her friends a hug.  
  
Sho smiled as he watched her and felt a pat on his shoulder.  
  
"Don't worry," Nino said with a wry smile, "no need to get jealous."  
  
"I was never jealous, you know," Sho retorted, "I'm happy she has people who are important to her."  
  
"You're taking this pretty calmly."  
  
"I have to," Sho answered softly and beamed as Shizuka gave her friends one last hug and hurried back over.

"Sorry. My choir friends came to send me off," she said happily, "Sho-kun, you were saying?"  
  
Sho only smiled and took her arm, drawing her close in a gentle embrace.

"All the best over there," Sho whispered, "I'll see you in three years."  
  
Shizuka nodded into his shoulder as she drew away. "You too," she said with the brightest smile she could manage, "all the best and take care."  
  
She drew away and turned to leave... and stopped in her steps as if she was deliberating over something. She then retraced her steps back to Sho, her hands holding out a neatly-folded letter.

"Read this after your exam is done, you hear me?" She demanded insistently, "AFTER."  
  
Sho blinked in surprise but nodded as his hands took the letter. Shizuka smiled in relief and stepped slowly away from him, slipping into Jun's car. She gave a nod, and Jun started the engine. She looked out of the window, meeting Sho's eyes with a soft smile. Sho could do nothing but watch as the car drive away, leaving behind nothing but wheel tracks and Shizuka's shoe prints.  
  
"So, when are you returning?" Jun asked.  
  
"My flight back is confirmed on January 28th," she said.  
  
"Ehhhh?! After Sho-kun's birthday?!" Aiba asked incredulously.  
  
"Our school's flight planning is horrible," Nino joked,"he has missed sending you off and then you'll have to miss his birthday."  
  
"I know, right?" Shizuka said, "but oh well. There's not much to be done. "  
  
The other four guys sighed. "Well, he'll be fine," Ohno said as he linked his fingers with Nino's, "three years will pass by in a flash, ne?"  
  
"How much more time till you need to enter the departure hall?" Jun asked.  
  
Shizuka looked at her watch. "About an hour. Plenty of time to check in and grab breakfast together."  
  
"You better savour it," Nino said, "you'll be having no Japanese breakfasts for the next few years."  
  
"Hmph. Food is food wherever I eat it. I'll be fine as long as it's good." Shizuka answered with a grin.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Sho looked at the clock at the front of the hall. It was 8.30am. By that time, he knew they had arrived at the airport and that they were probably accompanying her until she entered the gates at 9am. He could feel his heart twisting with every second that passed. And then there was something about the letter Shizuka gave him. He hadn't looked at it, but for her to make him read it after his paper he knew it was something important that might affect his performance, and she was being considerate about it.  
  
Finally, he made a decision. With a deep breath, he picked up his pen again and started speeding through the paper, his pen skidding across the surface with vigour.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
"Nino-kun! Ohno-kun!" Shizuka's mother said in surprise as she looked at the pair, "oh how you two have grown! Ohno-kun, you moved away for so long and I missed your mother. How is she?"  
  
"She's well. Thanks for asking," Ohno said with a sleepy smile.

"Wow,the snow seems to be falling quite a bit," Jun commented as he looked outside, " will your flight be okay?"  
  
"It doesn't look that serious, so it should be okay," Shizuka said as she carried the luggage in hand with her boarding pass. She paced slowly to the departure gate as the airport announcement went off.  
  
"Well, I guess it's time," Shizuka said, and gave her  parents a hug, "Dad, I'll Skype back the moment I arrive safely."

"I checked your arrival time. I'll be home to await your call," her father said, "take care. Your mother and I will miss you."  
  
"Dad, I won't be gone forever, you know," Shizuka said between sniffles and she moved to Nino and Ohno  to give them a hug and a pat on the back, "don't you dare get into seven-year-long fights without me around. I'll whack senses into both of you when I get back."

"We won't," Nino said.  
  
" If they do, you'll hear it from me right away," Jun chimed in. Shizuka gave Jun and Aiba a friendly handshake.  
  
" I will leave the two idiots in your hands," Shizuka said, "please whack them for me if they fight."  
  
"Jun-kun will be ruthless, don't worry," Aiba joked, "take care of yourself, ne?"  
  
"Don't let those guys over there hit on you!" Nino called.  
  
"They won't, relax!" Shizuka said with a mock-scowl and skipped over to the departure hall. She turned on her foot and gave them all a final wave.  
  
"Bye bye! I'll see you all in three years!!"  
  
Her friends cheered and whistled as she waved and entered the departure hall.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sho exhaled as he finished his last sentence and looked up at the clock. 9.01am. He stood up, took his script and handed it over to a surprised teacher before speeding for his bag. His hand reached into his bag for Shizuka's letter and read it. His eyes raved over the lines, his grip on the letter tightening with every word. His breathing grew shallow and hurried as he sped off on his way out of the school.  
  
 ** _"Sho-kun,_  
  
 _By the time you read this letter, I'd have already left on the plane for the Czech Republic. You, I hope, would be reading this after your written exam is over."_**  
  
The taxi door slammed shut as Sho looked ahead, his hair dishevelled and messy with snow.  
"To Narita Airport, please!"  
  
 _" **I imagine that this letter would come as a shock to you, and I understand if you are confused. I'm afraid my reasons are completely selfish, and that by the time you know what to make of it I would already be in mid-air, far away from anyone I would know."**_  
  
Shizuka strolled forlornly around in the departure hall and sat down, her eyes watching the snow fall softly from the sky. She took a deep breath as she watched some planes slowly take flight. She felt her jacket pockets for her phone, when she felt her fingers brush against something papery.  
  
 ** _"As someone who is particular and selective in building friendships, meeting you as Nino's roommate was a pleasant surprise. Well, then again I guess I hadn't really expected to meet anyone new in college. But now that I have, I'm grateful I met you. Even if we are essentially as different as light and shadow."_**  
  
"Hello? Jun-kun?" Sho called in his phone.  
  
"Ah! Sho-kun! You're done so early?"  
  
"Has Shizuka-chan gone in already?"  
  
"... Yes. She has. She must be in the departure gate waiting for boarding."  
  
"Oh shucks!" Sho swore as he bit his lip.  
  
"Ah, but this snow fall really is worrying. You don't think it'll get heavier, do you?" Aiba said in the background.  
  
"I saw some planes take off. I guess it isn't that bad?" Ohno's soft voice answered.  
  
"L-look, Sho-kun," Nino's voice called out from the other side, "just go!"  
  
"Nino-kun.."  
  
Nino's voice seemed to be clearer this time round on the phone.  
  
"Even if she has left, I don't want you to regret not even trying," Nino said solemnly,"don't make that same mistake that I did..and risk losing her for good. Go!"  
  
Sho nodded to himself, the letter tight in his hand. "I understand. I'll call back again." With that, he looked up at the road ahead with renewed resolve.  
  
 ** _"Parting with my ex-boyfriend who shared a similar personality with me taught me a painful lesson about how fragile the heart is, and how volatile emotions can be. If someone like him with a similar personality and temperament could not last with me, I had to conclude that my chances with someone else with a different personality and temperament would be close to none. I locked myself away from the very idea of romance, and slowly enough I lost the ability to empathise with the very idea of it.  
  
At least, that was how things were... until I fell for you."_**  
  
Shizuka looked up at the time and immediately made for the departure gate, carrying the luggage with her. She stood in line for the queue and took out the paper in her pocket to read.  
  
 _" **The ever-brewing conflict between my feelings and my better judgment of our differences has convinced me that I could not fly overseas for three years without making the safest attempt I possibly could in confessing to you. I understand it's selfish of me, and I only ask that you forgive me.**  
  
 **Forgive me for being a coward.**  
 **Forgive me for resorting to this letter to make my feelings known, only to fly off far away without hearing your answer.**  
 **Forgive me for loving you and not having the courage to tell it to you in person."**_  
  
"Could there be a faster route?" Sho asked.  
"Afraid not," the driver said with an apologetic smile, "the roads are a bit crowded this time of the day with morning and afternoon flights. I'll do my best to get you there quick."  
"Thank you," Sho said as he laid back on the seat, burying his face in his hands.  
  
 ** _"I will not expect an answer of any sort. I can only hope that when I return three years later, you will pretend you have never read this, and that we will return to being good friends like we always had. Our friendship has always meant something to me, and it always will."_**  
  
"Oh God..." Shizuka gasped as her eyes scanned the letter in her hand, tears falling slowly from her eyes. She closed the letter, holding it to her heart, feeling as if a noose had closed upon her neck, "what have I done... what have I done.. I..."  
  
 _" **So for the last time in my own selfish writing.. I love you.**  
  
 **Take care of everyone back home..and above all else, take care of yourself."**_  
  
"We're here, young man!" the taxi driver chirped as he pulled over.  
  
"Keep the change!" Sho said hastily, placing a bill in the driver's hands before bolting out of the taxi. He sprinted past the check-in counters and looked up at the flap display board at Shizuka's flight.  
  
 **"GATE CLOSED"**  
  
 ** _"Best wishes,  
Andou Shizuka."_**  
  
His heart sank as he found himself a seat nearby.  
He had been too late.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
Shizuka sat in her seat in the plane, her red eyes looking out at the snow that now seemed to be falling hard on the airport. The letter remained in her hands, slightly open and slightly smudged with her tears.  
  
 _" **Shizuka-chan,**  
  
 **I lied. The photo I took of you was not because of the ending or the music that came with it.**  
 **I took that picture as my way of wishing you luck in achieving your dreams, because it is my hope that you return safe and more accomplished than ever."**_  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention please?" An in-flight announcement played, "we regret to inform you that an unexpected snowstorm has delayed all outgoing flights. Japan AirLines Flight XYZ to the Czech Republic, scheduled for departure at 10 am at gate C-6, is now scheduled to depart at 1.30pm from gate C-9. Concord Airlines Flight 226..."  
  
Shizuka's eyes widened in shock as she looked around at the visibly unhappy passengers who started complaining about their flights.  
  
 ** _"That photo will remind me and encourage me throughout the three years in your place and remind me to do my best in the remaining years in college."_**  
  
"This is Miyano Chiharu bringing you the latest updates. A strong snowstorm in Chiba brings about delays and cancellations of more than 50 international flights at Narita Airport. The storm is expected to continue.."  
  
Jun looked at the car radio in surprise. "What? Delayed?"  
  
"Isn't Sho-kun on the way there now?" Aiba asked.  
  
"I hope he didn't get caught in the snow storm," Ohno said as he looked outside. Nino only grinned as he linked their fingers together.  
  
"He'll be fine," Nino responded, "a snowstorm wouldn't stop his stubborn self from getting there."  
  
 _" **When I rescued you off the bungee jumping platform, I've never been more afraid of anything. But I was not afraid of the heights or the fact that we were free-falling into space.**  
 **I was afraid of losing you.**  
  
 **And thank God, I didn't."**_  
  
"...we kindly ask all passengers to disembark and follow the instructions given by our ground staff as you leave the aircraft. Our company will be looking for the best solution for each one of you."  
  
"What is happening?" Shizuka asked the woman beside her. The woman scowled bitterly and gestured towards the window.  
  
"The snowstorm is getting too strong for any outgoing flights," she said,"now we either get on the next flight timing or hop on another airline with an earlier timing."  
  
"What?!" Shizuka sighed as she frustratedly ran her fingers through her hair and grabbed her luggage to follow the crowd out of the plane.  
  
 ** _"Even now, as I write this letter, I really wish you didn't have to leave for so long. Your dreams, however, mean as much to me as they do to you. So even as you fly off, know that three long agonising years will change nothing."_**  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is an urgent announcement. Due to adverse weather conditions, all outgoing flights will be rescheduled accordingly to a later timing when the snowstorm seems to have died down. For your own safety, we advise all passengers and visitors to remain indoors until we are informed that weather conditions have improved. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused."  
  
"Huh..?" Sho raised his head from his palms and looked back up at the flap board to see all the statuses of outgoing flights to be **"DELAYED"**.  
  
".. Don't tell me..." Sho murmured before he sprinted back to the departure hall, where long lines of people are already filing out from within.  
  
 ** _"I will miss you.  
You are my dearest friend, a chess opponent I will always beat, a fellow intellectual.. and the woman I wished had been my girlfriend."_**  
  
"Oh that is unfortunate, Andou-san," the woman said on the phone, "but do not worry. It seems you can change your flight to a much later timing at no cost. We have made you leave a week earlier than required to adjust to unforeseen circumstances as such. Please keep us updated so we may inform our affiliated institution over at the Czech Republic."  
  
"I understand. Thank you," Shizuka said as she followed the crowd out of the departure hall, looking for the airline service counter she had been at hours ago.  
  
 _ **"Until we meet again three years later,**_  
 _ **Sakurai Sho**_  
  
 _ **P.S. Don't work yourself to exhaustion without me around to catch you again."**_  
  
Her eyes scanned across the sea of people around her as she tried to make her way past angry, impatient passengers. She finally broke out of the unruly crowd and made her way to the long line of people by the airline service counters. She sighed as she looked at her boarding pass.

"Oh, what horrible luck," she mumbled and looked up ahead at the long queue in quiet contempt.

"For someone supposedly so smart, you really are an idiot, you know that?!" someone yelled in the distance.  
  
Shizuka smiled sadly to herself

"Yeah, if Sho-kun were here right now," she mumbled under her breath and gave a sigh, "that's what he'll be telling me,"  
  
"Shizuka!"  
  
That voice sounded closer, and Shizuka's eyes widened in complete, utter shock. She slowly swivelled around and saw a familiar figure that she was NOT expecting to see.  
  
"Sh...Sho-kun?!"

In a heartbeat, Sho had grabbed her hand and led her away from the queue and the crowds into a slightly quieter area. When alone, he finally drew her close in a tight embrace, which Shizuka returned with slightly tearful whimpers.

"I'm so.. I'm so sorry!" Shizuka sobbed into his shoulder, "I'm really sorry I wrote you that letter. It wasn't fair of me and I wasn't thinking and I.."

"Different, huh?" Sho began with a downcast look, "is that really how you see us?"

Shizuka sighed and drew away to put a distance between them, her glasses framing her despondent eyes.  
  
"You cannot pretend to not see it. Have a reality check," she said exasperatedly, "we are different in more ways than you realise. Lots of people like you but I don't have that same charisma. You have confidence and you exude it while I hide it behind books, theories, and the little wit and cleverness that I do possess."

She sighed and looked out into the snow storm.  
  
"It doesn't matter that I love books as much as you do or that I enjoyed our chess matches even though I kept losing. There are a million other people with a lot more charisma and confidence than myself that you can connect with, I'm sure," she said, "you don't have to settle for plain old me who will soon be half a world away from you."

"You say we are as different as light and shadow, and on all counts of your argument, I will agree," Sho said shakily, "but how could someone as smart as you ever forget that light and shadow work together as basic elements of photography?"

That one line seemed to strike a chord deep in her as she inhaled sharply.  
  
"We are different in many ways and we will be apart. And I know it will not be easy," Sho said, "but honestly, those differences never stopped me from liking you. Ever."  
  
Tears seemed to well up in Shizuka's eyes as she sharply turned her teary eyes to the window, refusing to meet his eye. Sho took a deep breath and stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Shizuka cringed away a little, but slowly relaxed in his arms.

"I don't care if a million other people have more charisma and confidence than you do," Sho said as he tightened his grip around her, "..not if it's you."  
  
Shizuka blinked her eyes shut as she felt more tears fall. He then gently turned her around and looked into her eyes, thumbing away the tears that streamed down her cheeks.

"So in reply to your letter... I'm sorry. I will not forget that I ever read it. I can't. And I don't want to. "  
  
"But I-"

"Because, I'll never forget the letter from someone I dearly love," he said, "and that someone... will always be you."  
  
Before Shizuka could respond, Sho snuck her glasses away from her eyes and leaned down to capture her lips in a gentle kiss. Shizuka froze for a moment until the warmth of the liplock set in and she relaxed, allowing her arms to wrap around him as she returned the kiss, her tears falling fast from her eyes. When they finally drew apart breathlessly, Sho rested his forehead on hers.

"Do you.. feel braver now?"

Shizuka sniffled and gave him a gently poke on the shoulder.

"You're not playing fair. Now give me back my glasses."  
  
"Nope, YOU are not playing fair," Sho answered as he held her spectacles way out of her reach, "first you write me such a letter and expect me to pretend I didn't read it for three years. And then even after I told you how I feel, you still haven't told me the same."  
  
Shizuka buried her red cheeks in her palms in embarrassment. She then slowly peeked out from between her fingers.

"... I like you."

Sho chuckled and shook his head as he drew her close to him, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead.  
  
"Good girl."

"Don't think you can get away," Shizuka said with a sulk, "who decided that you would keep beating me in chess anyway?"  
  
Sho grinned as he handed over her glasses. "Our track record?"

"Track record? Hah. I'll beat you in three years' time, I swear." Shizuka sniffled as she wore them and gave Sho a hug.

"Do you really have to go?" Sho asked with a soft pout as he inhaled in the scent from her hair.

"You know what this opportunity means to me. I REAAALLY need to go."

"Alright, alright.." Sho said as he looked up the updated flight timings on his phone, "think you mind switching to the flight at night? 7.30pm on Concord Airlines sounds good."

"Wow, that's a long time."

"That's enough time to take you out to lunch, shopping and dinner," Sho said as he directed her over to the airline counter."

"Really?" Shizuka looked over at Sho's phone, "hmmm, a short stopover at Russia... I guess it'll be alright. I'll still be there within the week."

"That's good. Well, I'll leave you to make the arrangements."

Shizuka nodded and just as he was about to leave, she tugged him close and planted a shy kiss on his cheek. Sho looked at her in surprise.

"Now, excuse me," she said as she cleared her throat and whipped out her phone, "I have VERY important phone calls to make."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
"Good luck for your exams, you two~" Nino cheered as Jun and Aiba left for their exam. Just then, his phone rang and he looked at the caller ID.

"Ah, Sho-kun. Did you-"

"I did. I found her. I won't be back in school until tonight."  
  
A smile appeared on Nino's face as he looked over at Ohno and gave him a nod.  
  
"Oh please, take your time there. You can even stay in the lounge there for the night if you want to, you know."  
  
"I-Idiot! She's flying off tonight after dinner, you dolt!" Sho answered with a red face and Nino laughed.

"But at least you told her. It won't be an easy three years without her, right?"

To Nino's surprise, Sho laughed in response.

"Seven years apart sure didn't stop you and Ohno-kun from liking each other," Sho said as he looked at the queue to meet Shizuka's eyes. She smiled brightly before turning back to the counter in front of her.

"...three years is nothing compared to that," Sho continued with a grin.  
  
"Good to know that," Nino said, "I will not heartlessly disturb your date any longer. Have fun."

The line went dead as Nino grinned at Ohno beside him and wrapped his arms around him in a cozy hug as they nestled into a blanket on the bed.

"I guess our dear Shizuka-chan's prince isn't faceless anymore," Nino said, "please draw in his face the next time you do a painting like that."  
  
Ohno laughed as he wrapped his arms around Nino, inhaling his scent from the nape of his neck, "I'll remember that."  
  
They looked out at the snow storm that falling by the window, the warmth in Nino's dorm room and in each other's arms unrivalled by the cold outside. Nino laced their fingers together as he gave a blissful sigh, wondering what new memories they will make in the years ahead to erase the ones that drove them apart.

 

**_"When two people are meant for each other, no time is too long, no one can ever tear them apart."  
-Denisha Hudson_ **


	13. EPILOGUE

***THREE YEARS LATER***

*January 25th*

_10:30, National University of Fine Arts_  
  
The snow fell softly on the grounds of the National University of Fine Arts as students shuffled busily around towards their classes.  
  
Sakurai Sho carried his photography books up the stairs and past the corridors before making a sharp turn into a seminar room where his assigned photography class was. The moment he walked in, poppers started sounding out from the doorway.

"Happy Birthday, Sakurai-kun~"

Sho looked up in amazement as the professor and the rest of his classmates clapped for him.

"Wow, I hadn't expected something like this," Sho said as he carried his books to the front, "thank you, sensei. Thanks everybody."

"Well, by far you and Aiba-kun are two of the photography department's favourite teaching assistants," his professor said, "I'll never forget that stunning photo you entered in your first Visual Arts Festival. Oh, everybody, did I show it to you?"

"Ehhh? What is it?!"  
"I want to see!"  
"No you can't!" Sho protested with a red face and his professor laughed.

"Hahaha! Alright, I'll stop embarrassing you. For now," the professor said and clapped for attention, "now everyone, return to your seats. The cake can always come later after the lesson."

Sho heaved a short sigh of relief. Deep in his heart, he was elated that three years had finally passed, and Shizuka would be coming back three days later. Giving himself some encouragement with that fact, he readied the photography equipment in the front as the class began.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

  
_16:45_ , _An apartment 100m away from the National University of Fine Arts_  


"Ready... GO!" The pair padded their feet across the apartment floor, their hands firmly gripping the washcloth in front of them.  
  
"Uwaaa..." Ohno said, "look at all this... And we moved in not too long ago too..."

"Well we got busy with stuff, didn't we?" Nino huffed as he padded his way around, "and besides, we have guests tonight."  
  
"Ah right.. Jun-kun would make a fuss if the house is untidy.." Ohno said as he rinsed the dirty cloth in the water bucket nearby and sighed. Nino grinned from beside him.

"Aren't you glad we're living together right now?"

Ohno grinned and engulfed Nino in his arms. "Yes, Kazu. I'm very glad."

"Ew. Oh-chan, get your dusty hands off me and get cleaning," Nino teased good-naturedly, "we still have to buy food later. Oh, and  we need to collect Sho-kun's cake too."  
  
"I thought Jun-kun and Aiba-kun are taking care of the food," Ohno said, "well, we can always have more food with the cake."

Soon enough, they stood up and surveyed the now sparkling living room, wiping beads of perspiration from their foreheads.  
  
Right beside Nino's favourite yellow couch in the living room sat Ohno's favourite hammock chair, and hung proudly on the wall above the couch was Ohno's first painting that entered the Visual Arts Festival three years ago. Opposite the couch sat their television, which was beside a shelf of computer and console game boxes and a stand for Ohno's fishing rods.  
  
"I can't believe you've actually taken to fishing," Nino commented, "I knew you liked fish back then as a kid, but to think that now you actually LIKE catching fish..."

"But why don't you ever want to come with me- oh right. You get seasick easily."

"There we go. Now, Oh-chan," Nino said as he directed Ohno to their bedroom, "we should get ready to leave and buy Sho-kun his cake."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 _17:27, a supermarket 50m away from The National University of Fine Arts_  
  
"Hello? Sho-kun! You do remember what day it is today, right?" Jun said into his mobile as he pushed the trolley in the supermarket.

"Ah yes. My lecture group and professor reminded me with a surprise," Sho replied.

"We are celebrating your birthday today at Nino-kun's and Ohno-kun's house," Jun said, "go there after you're done assisting your professor for the day."  
  
"Oh, we're having it there today?" Sho asked, "come to think of it, I've never seen their new home before. What's the address?"

"I'll text you it later," Jun said, "right now, is there anything you'd like to have? Or would you leave it up to me?"

"Maa.. Ohno-kun says your cooking is good, so I'm going to leave it up to you." Sho said.

"Right. See you later. Bye~" Jun hung up and looked at Aiba beside him, "Well, he's leaving the food to us. What shall we buy?"

"Sho-chan likes takoyaki, but I'm not sure about it for his birthday.."

"Well he likes shellfish, doesn't he? Maybe I'll cook some marinara spaghetti with shrimps and clams. Ah right! How about some lobster rolls and ebi tempura as finger food?"

"And the dessert can be cake, ne?" Aiba said excitedly as he joined their hands together, the silver bands on their left ring fingers gleaming proudly in the light, "alright, let's go to the seafood section!"

Just then, Jun's phone rang again. Jun looked at the caller ID with a puzzled look and picked up the call.

"H-hello? ... Eh? EHHH?! Ah... Okay, do you need anyone to.. oh. Okay. Well," Jun spoke as he led Aiba along by the arm, "well, they live together now. Mm. Okay. I'll text you. See you later, ne? Bye~"  
  
Jun hung up, looking at his mobile phone in surprise.

"Hmm? Who is it?" Aiba asked, concerned.  
  
"I'll tell you later," Jun said hurriedly as he dialed a number.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_17:30, a cake shop outside The National University of Fine Arts_

Nino felt his phone vibrate at the cake shop, and he picked up the call.

"Hello? Jun-kun?"

"Ah. Nino? How many people can you seat over at your house?"

Nino frowned and shrugged.  
  
"3 people on the couch, one on Oh-chan's hammock chair, one smaller yellow couch...  Ah, we have a kotatsu I think.."  
  
"Good! Pull out the kotatsu! We need it!"  
  
"Ehh? Do we really need that for only five people?"

"Yes we do, because we will have six people over!"  
  
"HAH? ... Jun-kun, did you happen to invite someone over from one of your circle of friends?"  
  
Ohno blinked beside him and he looked over at the counter where the cashier stood with the cake in hand. She carefully slid it into a cake box and included in some candles before handing it over to Ohno.  
  
"EHHH?! Seriously?!" Nino exclaimed, ".. Oh. Okay. Understood. Okay. So... the kotatsu? Six people? Got it. Okay. See you guys."  
  
Nino hung up and looked over at Ohno, who looked curiously at him.  
  
"Kazu? What happened? Is everything okay?"  
  
"Oh-chan, we have an unexpected guest. Jun-kun says we need to get more snacks," Nino said as he dialled a number on his phone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_17:33, outside The National University of Fine Arts_

  
Sho left the university and picked up his ringing phone.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Sho-kun!" Nino said, "I have good news and bad news regarding today's celebration."  
  
"Oh God," Sho said with a sigh, "what is the bad news?"

"Well, the bad news is, we're going to have more people over for dinner."  
  
"Ahh... must be Jun inviting more people over," Sho said, "what is the good news?"  
  
"The good news is," Nino said, "this person is called Andou Shizuka, and you need to collect her from the airport."  
  
"Whaaaat, so now I have to go to the airport which is half an hour aw-" Sho paused as he took in what he just heard.

"... Wait. Who is it?"  
  
"Ehh? Sho-kun, she's your girlfriend."

"Shizuka's back already?!?!"

"She was able to return earlier than scheduled and took an earlier flight back. She touched down just a while ago at 5.30pm."  
  
Sho looked at his watch. "It's 5.34..."

"She should be out of the arrival hall by 6pm."  
  
"I'll be right there!" Sho said hurriedly and hung up, his heart racing as he sprinted for his car.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
 _6.05pm, Arrival Hall in Narita Airport_  
  
Sho hurried over to the arrival lobby, where small crowds were gathering around outside.  
  
Some people held up signs and peeked out from behind them to look out for arriving passengers. Finding himself a spot at the front of the crowd, he gripped the ropes that demarcated a clear exit route from within the arrival hall. Soon enough, lines of people started to file out from within into the lobby, and Sho narrowed his eyes as he tried to pick her out from the crowd. His eyebrows knitted into a slight frown as the crowd of exiting passengers started to thin, his shoes tapping anxiously on the black and white granite tiles on the floor.  
  
"Where is she?" he mumbled with slight worry, "she is taking too long.."  
  
Just then..

"CHECKMATE, SHO-KUN!"  
  
Sho blinked in complete surprise. He whirled around to see Shizuka (with her luggage and a cup of black coffee) standing a short distance directly in front of him. Shizuka waved and pointed to the black and white granite floor that resembled a chess board. Sho blinked and looked around him to see himself surrounded by other people with their luggages, giving him no place to move anywhere.  
  
Shizuka grinned and took brisk, steady steps towards him, her black pumps clicking crisply on the floor as she paced towards him.  
  
"I'm back," she said, her eyes smiling through her spectacles, "Hah. I told you I'd beat you in chess three years later."  
  
Sho felt his heart beat violently through his chest as he gathered her into his arms.  
  
"Welcome home," Sho whispered as he wrapped her closer to him, relishing the feel of her soft frame against his chest.  
  
"Happy birthday," Shizuka said shyly into his ear and planted a soft, discreet kiss on his cheek. She pulled back with a grin, her hands still gripping her boyfriend by his shoulders as she looked him over.

"Mmm..." she mused as she poked lightly at Sho's cheeks, "taller, slightly chubbier around the cheeks.."

"Oi."  
  
"... Aaand still as handsome as ever," she finished with a playful wink, "I guess it really is different seeing you on Skype and in person. ... Ah.. these dark eye circles.. have you been getting enough sleep?"  
  
"I've been really busy," Sho said as he took her luggage in his right hand and tenderly held her hand with his left, "being the teaching assistant to my lecturer is no joke."  
  
"You've been complaining to me about it for a while," she answered with a giggle, "any plans after graduation?"  
  
"Well, you know I'm now specialising in photojournalism, ne?" Sho said, "so I'll apply for a job in mass media."  
  
"Wow that's seriously interesting," Shizuka said, "aaaand, I heard our favourite couple have started living together?"  
  
"BOTH our favourite couples are cohabiting now," Sho corrected, as they approached his car. He placed her luggage in the back and opened the door to the shotgun seat. Shizuka slipped in, and Sho soon joined her in the car.  
  
"Well, to Ohno and Nino's house?" Shizuka asked, and Sho nodded.

"Ah, you forgot the seatbelt," Sho said and leaned over her, grabbing the seatbelt from her left to secure it to her seat.

"Haha. Right, thank yo-"  
  
Shizuka was cut off promptly as Sho snuck her glasses off and pressed his lips fiercely against hers. Her head lolled back against the seat, and Sho reached his hand behind her head to the rubber band that held her hair up. He gently tugged it off and her long black hair tumbled past her shoulders as they molded their lips together.

"I just got back," Shizuka said breathlessly, "and already you're trying to change me?"

"Not at all," Sho said as he handed back her glasses back, "I just.. well.. wanted to do that ever since I saw you back there at the airport."  
  
He then sat back in his seat and started up the engine and drove off towards Ohno and Nino's house, his free hand grasping Shizuka's until they arrived.

 

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_

 

_7.pm, Ohno's and Nino's house_

"Happy birthday, Sho-kun~"  
  
Six full beer glasses clinked soundly against each other as the happy group started on their dinner.

"But to think you could make it back for Sho-kun's birthday, it really is a surprise!" Jun said, "you really scared me with that unknown number!"  
  
"Ah, sorry, I forgot to switch back to my Japan phone number," Shizuka said, "I'll do it later."  
  
"That's what happens when you stay there for three years, ne? Ohno said as he placed a small piece of curried shrimp into Nino's bowl.  
  
"I hope you liked your birthday presents," Jun-kun said, and Sho nodded.  
  
"Well, your favourite present is just beside you, ne?" Aiba teased as Sho looked over at Shizuka with a blush on his face.

"Aww really? I guess you don't need my hand-knit present then," Shizuka said jokingly, "I can always use it for myself you know."

"N-no, that's not what I meant!" Sho protested as Jun and Aiba laughed, and Ohno shuffled his way out of the kotatsu.

"I'll get some more drinks," Ohno said, and Nino followed closely behind to the kitchen. Ohno reached into the fridge and grabbed a bottle of chilled beer out when he felt arms wrap around his waist.

 

"Kazu?"  
  
"Mmm."  
  
"We should get back..."  
  
"Later," Nino murmured, "you feel very warm. Warmer and nicer than the kotatsu."  
  
Ohno smiled as he wrapped his arm around Nino's waist and directed him over to the kitchen window, where the snow continued to fall.  
  
"Ne, Kazu.." Ohno said, "what do you say we get a couple ring too?"  
  
Nino blinked in surprise. "Ehh?"  
  
"Well, I've been thinking it for some time now, but I'm not sure if you're the rings type of person..."

Nino said nothing but leaned over, brushing their lips together.

"I'm not," Nino said, "but I want to wear it.... maybe on a neck chain."  
  
Ohno smiled cutely and hugged Nino to him. "Let's go tomorrow."  
  
Nino nodded and rested his head in the crook of Ohno's neck and looked quietly out at the snow.

"Sometimes," Nino said, "I wonder what would become of us two if I didn't bump into you with your books. Or even waaay back then when I didn't meet you in the playground."  
  
"Ah, the first time we met?" Ohno said, "well.. I still think we'd meet somehow."  
  
"Ehh? Really?"  
  
Ohno nodded and gripped Nino's hands, interlocking their fingers together.  
"We're meant to be together, ne?" Ohno said, "so when exactly we met up again wouldn't matter anyway- we'd still meet each other somehow in some way."

"Ah..."  
  
"Remember," Ohno said, "we were separated for seven years and that still didn't keep us from meeting each other again."  
  
Nino giggled. "True that," he sighed as he enjoyed the comforting warmth in the arms of his lover, "I love you , Oh-chan."  
  
"I love you, Kazu," Ohno breathed against Nino's neck, "from then.. till now, and from tomorrow onwards."  
  
The pair enjoyed a slow, tender moment in the kitchen as the laughter of their friends and the love in their hearts kept them warm amidst the cold winter night.


End file.
